And The Sky Is Grey
by isabella2004
Summary: Alex fights for answers, and receives help from an unlikely ally. But does she really want to get home? Sequel to Dedicated To The One I Love.
1. Chapter 1

**And so I'm back...from outer space...kidding. I've been toying with how to start this second story and I've come up with this. It's a little chapter to start with, but don't worry it'll pick up as we go through. I hope all those who followed Dedicated to the One I Love will come with me on this story!! You should read that story first (in the LOM section) before reading this or it might not make much sense!!**

**Please leave a review - keeps me going!!**

_There was no pain whatsoever. Only darkness. Darkness slowly fading into light. Silence, slowing fading into sounds. She found herself sitting on damp ground, the cold seeping into her backside, her head between her knees. The world was spinning on its axis, but if she kept her head down, instinctively she knew that it would stop. When it did, she opened her eyes and found herself looking at the ground. She tried to move, but her arms appeared to be tied behind her back and, subsequently, around some other object, making it impossible to move._

_"No," she heard herself whisper. She had survived Wallace, had gotten away and survived. She couldn't be back here again. Not in that situation…could she?  
"Another fine bloody, sodding, shitting mess!"_

_Alex's head snapped up and the sight that greeted her was one that made her insides fill with warm, that made the torment of the last few weeks worth it. It was a sight she had longed for, and yet had never dared hoped to see._

_"Oh, back with us, Bolly, I see." Gene's expression was one of supreme irritation. "Typical woman to peg out completely at the first sign of bloody danger." He appeared to be in a similar situation, hands tied behind his back._

_"Gene…" she breathed, almost unable to believe it was him._

_"Save that saucy voice for later when I've got you over me desk," he replied. "Now then, Tyler, 'ow do you propose we get ourselves out of this little pickle?"_

_Alex turned her head slowly to the left and, to her complete and utter amazement, saw Sam Tyler sat next to her, tied up similarly to Gene and herself and looking extremely pissed off…………_

**London – May 1981**

Sharp pain shot through her, carving her skull like a knife through butter. The room spun wildly, despite the darkness. It was like lying on your back on a roundabout with your eyes closed. Although you couldn't see it, everything still moved.

With a sharp intake of breath, Alex opened her eyes and found herself looking at the ceiling. But there was no strip fluorescent lighting, no doctors on white coats leaning over her, no Molly dancing at the side of her vision. There was only an incredibly hideous lampshade, the vulgarity of which she had never quite noticed until this moment, burning softly above her. Trembling, she tried to lift her upper body off of the floor, but nausea got the better of her and she lowered herself back down again.

"Bloody 'ell you're awake!" The next thing she knew, Gene's face blocked the lampshade from her view and all she could see was the concern in his eyes, "You ok? Went down like a sack of spuds!"

"I…" Alex struggled to speak, but her mouth felt so uncomfortably dry that she couldn't formulate proper words. In the next moment, Gene had put his arms under her and dragged her into a seated position so that she was effectively sat in his lap, her head resting back against his shoulder.

"'ere," he handed her a glass of water which she started to sip slowly, "Gave me the fright of me life, Bolly. Bloody selfish of you. 'aven't you worried me enough for one day?"

"I'm…sorry," she managed to say finally, "God…my head…" She felt his cool hands gently push her hair back and gingerly touch the lump that had formed where Wallace had hit her.

"You should 'ave stayed in the 'ospital," Gene said, "could 'ave done all sorts of damage to that pretty brain of yours."

"How long was I…?"

"Out for the count? About a minute."

"No," she said, pulling herself up so that she could turn her head slightly and look at him, "No, it must have been longer than that, surely?"

"Nope. I 'eard you get out of bed, followed you through 'ere, where you promptly hit the floor like the place was under attack, and by the time I'd gone to the kitchen and got some water you were back with us."

"But I…I went…" her mind rolled back through everything that had happened to her, "I went back. I went…home. I saw Molly and…and Daniel…"

"Mm hm."

"No, you don't understand!" She swung her legs round and knelt in front of him, momentarily wincing at the pain still coursing through her skull, "I went home to 2008 and I saw Daniel and he's…he's a doctor! And he has three children and you…you weren't there but…and then I went home and was trying to find out more about you and about what had happened…here…and then I was crossing the road and the truck…"

"Truck?"

"Yes! Yes, the truck hit me and then I woke up again and we were…we were tied up in some sort of…I don't know…garage...and Sam was there and…" she broke off at the look on his face. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"That my son's clever enough to grow up to be a doctor? Course I believe that. But as for trucks and Tyler…" Gene shook his head.

"But it's true! I…" Alex let out a frustrated groan, "I don't know why…I don't know how…"

"I do," Gene got to his feet and reached down to take her hand. "You're still not well." He helped her to her feet, "You should go back to bed, Bolly. Get some more rest and in the morning, I'm taking you straight back to the 'ospital."

"But…" Alex tried to protest as he steered her back into the bedroom and helped her back into bed. "But you have to believe me," she said, her lip quivering as he pulled the covers up around her, "I'm not making this up."

Gene smoothed her hair back from her face and kissed her forehead, "I'll kip on the couch."

"No!" She reached out quickly and grabbed his arm, "No, don't…don't leave me here alone…"

"Not afraid of the dark are you?" he looked at her with mock disdain, "Tough bird like you?"

"Please. You promised, remember? Forever and ever and ever amen."

He sighed heavily. "I knew that phrase would come back to 'aunt me one day. Come on then, shift over." Alex slid over in the bed and he climbed in beside her. She cuddled close into him, her head resting on his chest, her hand firmly positioned over his heart, as if she had a need to feel it beating. "Never really struck me as the kind of woman who needed anyone else, Bolly," he commented, "least of all someone like me."

She didn't reply for a long moment and he thought she had fallen asleep, when she at last spoke. "I'm scared."

He looked down at her and saw real fear in her eyes, more real than he had ever seen before. "Of what?"

She shook her head slightly, "I don't know."

"Yeah well," he tightened his grip around her, "Gene Genie's 'ere now. Nothing can 'appen to you while I'm 'ere to protect you. Can't be unlucky enough to lose two girlfriends, can I?"

XXXX

She dreamt of nothing. There was nothing to dream about. Nothing but a darkness that seemed to close in around her. She clung to Gene through her restlessness, tossing and turning, yet dreaming of nothing. There was no nightmare. Just nothing. An endless darkness. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to focus on one time, one place. She couldn't seem to ground herself. 2008, 1981, 1983? Which was real? Which was the one she needed to be in? Was she dying in 2008, mown down by a truck? Was she dying in 1981 of some injury relating to her capture by Wallace? Was she dying in 1983, tied up in some garage with Gene and Sam? Nothing made sense, nothing, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find the peace of sleep, the peace she so desperately needed.

Exhausted, she woke to bright sunshine and an empty bed.

"Gene!" Sitting bolt upright, she scanned the room and found him not there. "Gene!"

A few seconds later he appeared in the doorway, his shirt unbuttoned to reveal his vest, his face half covered in shaving foam. "What?"

"I thought…" relief flooded through her, "I thought you had gone."

"Not bloody likely," he replied, "I'm going to 'ave you for assault you know," he pointed his razor at her.

"What?"

"Bruised and battered, that's what I am after spending the night in bed with you. Was like sleeping with a restless bear! Tossing and turning and grabbing me…" he shook his head, "If I'd done that to you…"

"Sorry."

He looked at her as if he couldn't quite believe what she had just said, "What?"

"Sorry," she repeated, suddenly feeling very cold, like icy fingers had grabbed her and were pinning her tightly.

"I could 'ave sworn you just said…"

"Yes, all right!" she snapped at him, her teeth chattering.

"Touchy," he remarked, "I better mention that to the doctor."

"I'm not going to the hospital," she replied, but he had already gone back into the bathroom, "Gene, I said I'm not…" Sighing, she swung her legs gingerly out of bed and stood up. Her head was still painful, but nowhere near as bad as the previous night. Walking over to the mirror, she looked at her reflection and took in the sunken eyes, the wild hair and the paleness of her skin. As she continued to gaze at her reflection, she felt another sudden shiver and the unmistakable feeling that someone was watching her. She turned slowly, not sure what to expect, but the room behind her was empty.

She left the bedroom and walked into the living room to make some coffee. That simple task seemed to take an age. Her body felt so tired, her muscles so weak, and the cold feeling continued to course through her.

"Bloody 'ell," Gene said, coming into the kitchen and finding her sat at the table nursing a steaming cup. "I can practically see through you, you're so pale."

"Thanks."

"You should get dressed."

"I will."

"Now, Bolly. I'm taking you to that 'ospital right now before you keel over again right in front of me." He lifted his car keys from the table.

"Where are you going?" Alex asked, suddenly fearful.

"I'm going to bring the car round to the door, ok? Get dressed now." Gene opened the front door and then looked back at where she still sat, "Now Bolly, before I drag you into that bedroom and strip you naked and I do _not_ mean for another round of hot Gene Genie sex!" With that, he slammed the door behind him.

Immediately, Alex began to shiver uncontrollably. Her whole body felt as though it was in spasms and if she looked at her skin, she could almost see it turning blue. It felt as though she was sinking in to a bath of ice, her breath frosting with every movement of air.

"No…" she whispered to herself, "Not again. I can't be dying again…I can't...can I?"

"Trust me, when that moment comes, you'll know."

The voice. Female and unfamiliar, yet not…almost comfortingly familar. Alex looked up across the room and screamed.

"Sorry," Meg said, "I didn't mean to scare you."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all so much for reviewing so far. Just to clear it up, the beginning of the last chapter (in italics) was the very last part of Dedicated to the One I Love. I put it in just to remind people where the last story finished. Anyway, here's chapter 2 and the mystery deepens....**

Alex felt as though she were about to stop breathing. As if death was closing in over her. If she was seeing things, if she was seeing Meg…she got up quickly, her chair toppling over behind her, and moved backwards until her back hit the wall.

"Alex, it's ok," Meg held out her hand and stepped forward, "I'm not…"

"No, no this can't be happening!" Alex said, shaking her head, "This can't be happening! I'm not…I can't be…"

"Alex…"

"No, no, no, you're…you're dead. I'm…I'm…"

"Calm down."

"Calm down?!" Alex raged, "Calm down? I don't know what the hell is happening to me but now, on top of _everything _else, I am _seeing _things. I am seeing…you…I…no." Without another word she fled back to the bedroom and slammed the door, locking it behind her and leaning against it, her breath coming in short bursts.

"If you're expecting me to come gliding through the door, it doesn't appear to work like that," Meg's voice filtered from through the door. "Come on, Alex, let me in."

"Let you in? Let you _in_? But…but this…" she shook her head again, trying to get rid of the voice.

"Well I'm not bloody well going anywhere until you open this door and talk to me!" Meg's tone was irritated now.

Still shaking, Alex moved her weight from the door, unlocked it and slowly opened it a crack. There would be nobody there, she told herself, but when she looked into the kitchen, she saw Meg standing next to the table, her arms folded across her chest.

"Finally. Thank God for that!"

"You're…you're…" Alex struggled for words.

"Megan Ryan, but you can call me Meg if you like. Everyone else did."

Alex kept the door half closed, unwilling to come all the way out of the bedroom. Terrified to put herself in the same space as…whatever it was. "But…but you're…"

"Dead, I know." Meg leaned against the kitchen counter, "Been like this for seven years, 'aven't I?"

"But…I don't understand. How can you be…?"

"'ere? Talking to you?" She shook her head, "Your guess is as good as mine. It's never 'appened before. Someone actually being able to see me that is. But after what 'appened at the allotment…"

Alex opened the door all the way and stepped out of the bedroom. "That _was _you!" Meg nodded. "You were there and you led the others to me." She paused, "You saved my life."

"Yeah well," Meg ducked her head, "I didn't do a very good job of saving me own so…"

A rush of pity swept over Alex and for a moment, she forgot about the absurdity of the whole situation. Rather than some spectre, she saw a young woman, cut down in her prime. A victim of circumstance. "I'm sorry about what happened to you."

"Me too," Meg met her gaze again, "I still think about it. About 'ow stupid I was not to piece it all together. Not to recognise that it was me that…" she took a deep breath and Alex saw tears forming in her eyes, "A lot of people died Alex, before and after me, that didn't 'ave to."

"There was no way that you could have controlled what Wallace did."

"No, I s'pose not," she wiped her eyes, "Thank you."

"What for?"

"For getting 'im. For finding out the reasons why. I was there, you know, I 'eard what he said. I willed you to escape although there wasn't really much I could do to 'elp you."

"Except lead Gene to me," Alex smiled, "I'm grateful. I only wish…"

"What?"

"I wish it had been earlier."

"So do I."

For a moment, they both looked at each other, locked in mutual understanding. Two women separated by time and space, by life and death, yet sharing a common interest.

"I don't…I don't understand…" Alex brought herself back to the situation at hand, "I don't understand how I'm talking to you, how…" she slowly pulled out a chair from the table and sat down. "Am I dying?"

"I don't 'ave all the answers."

"Do you have any?"

"Depends on what you want to know."

"Well…how about we start with why you're here? Why you're talking to me now. Is something going to happen to me…to Gene…?" A thought suddenly struck her, "Umm…were you here last night? I mean, did you…?"

"What, see 'im give you one?" Meg grinned, "I averted me eyes at that particular moment." Her gaze took on a faraway look, "It 'urts. I didn't think things were supposed to 'urt once you're dead but…it does. Seeing you with 'im. Seeing 'ow 'ard 'e tried to find you, 'ow much 'e cares about you…it 'urts." Alex looked away. "But…you seem to make 'im 'appy and, in a strange way, that makes me 'appy. I don't want 'im to be alone and there isn't much I can do to solve that myself so…" she trailed off. "So, we 'ave to figure out 'ow to 'elp you."

"Well, where do we start?" Alex asked.

Meg shook her head, "I'm afraid that's a question I don't 'ave an answer for. Yet."

"What about 1983?" Alex pressed, "Daniel…your son told me…" She broke off as the front door of the flat flew open and Gene appeared. "Gene…" she glanced back to where Meg had been standing, only to find her gone. "I…"

"You're still not bloody dressed!" he exclaimed.

"Well…I was…" she looked around the kitchen, as if expecting to find Meg hiding on top of a cupboard, "I'm…"

"Alex…" he stepped over to her and crouched in front of her, "You're not well and you need to go back to 'ospital. If anything 'appens to you…"

"I don't need…"

"_Please_," he took her hands in his, "Christ, you're cold." He started rubbing them. "Look, I've just found you and…and I'm not prepared to risk you keeling over and dying on me." She opened her mouth to protest again, "Come on. For me."

Finally, Alex nodded and, getting to her feet, made her way into the bedroom and closed the door. Gene straightened up and set about making himself a quick coffee while he waited. He couldn't get over how cold the flat was. It hadn't been like that the previous evening, but then he had to remind himself that the temperature in the flat hadn't exactly been high on his list of priorities last night.

As he stood facing the kettle, hands splayed out on the worktop, he felt a sudden warmth on the back of his neck. The hairs there appeared to suddenly stand up on end and, turning, he thought he might find someone there behind him. The room, however, was empty.

A few moments later, the bedroom door opened and Alex emerged, fully dressed. "Are we going then?" she asked, her voice low.

"Yeah," he replied, putting down the empty cup he had just downed. The hot liquid warmed him up, but the strange feeling on the back of his neck remained. He followed her out of the flat and closed the door behind him.

Meg stood at the table after they had gone, her eyes closed, the feeling of Gene's warm skin still tingling her lips.

XXXX

Gene sat outside the hospital room while Alex was checked over by the doctor. She had protested the whole way there, albeit rather less so than she had earlier, saying that she felt fine and that she didn't need to see a doctor. He had told her that she was going and that was the end of it. He also found it very strange that she kept turning around and looking at the backseat, as if she expected to find someone there. Every so often he glanced in the rear view mirror but, as expected, the backseat was empty. He was worried that it was some sort of side effect from being struck by Wallace and from falling down the steps.

Then there was a feeling that he too couldn't quite shake. Ever since that moment in the flat, when he had felt the strange sensation on the back of his neck, he had felt as though there was something near him, something unexplained. Yet, whenever he looked around, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Getting as bonkers as Bolly," he muttered to himself.

From where she was sat on the hospital bed, Alex could see Gene through the glass panel on the door. He was sat forward in one of those terribly uncomfortable plastic seats, his elbows resting against his knees, looking at the floor. Meg was sat beside him, watching everything that was going on around her. Every so often, she would glance at him, but he never gave any indication that he knew she was there.

"Look into my light." The doctor's voice jolted her back to reality and she did as she was requested. "Look left. And right. And straight into the light…good." He snapped the light off, "Nothing wrong with you."

"Then why did I collapse?" She asked. "And why am I so cold?"

"Your body temperature is normal and as for you collapsing…well you've been through quite an experience in the last twenty four hours, wouldn't you say?" He smiled patronisingly at her.

"Yes," she replied softly, "I suppose I have."

"You should go home, take plenty of rest and go and see your GP in seven days time." He put the light back into his pocket.

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Gingerly, Alex climbed off of the bed, lifted her jacket and walked towards the door. When she opened it, both Gene and Meg stood up.

"Well?" the former asked.

"Home and plenty of rest," she repeated.

"That's it?" he asked.

She nodded, "That's it."

"Yeah well…bloody doctors. Come on, I'll take you 'ome."

Alex glanced at Meg, "I'm just going to visit the ladies first if you don't mind."

"Ok, I'll wait for you in the car."

"Thanks." She turned and walked away from him towards the toilets. Meg fell into step beside her.

"I take it you didn't tell 'im you were seeing the ghosts of dead police officers," she quipped.

"Funnily enough, no I didn't." Alex pushed open the door of the ladies toilet and glanced around quickly to make sure there was no-one else there.

"You know, you might want to make it less obvious that you're seeing me," Meg said.

"What?"

"Well, all that turning around you did in the car. What did you think I was going to do? Grab the wheel?"

"No, but…" Alex ran her hands through her hair. "You have to admit this is all rather odd. I mean it's like…it's like _Ghost._"

"I _know_ I'm a ghost…I suppose."

"No, not _a _ghost. _Ghost_. It's a film from 1990. Patrick Swayze and..." Alex trailed off, "Never mind. Before Gene came into the flat, I started to ask you about 1983."

"Way after my time," Meg joked.

"I'm being serious!" Alex snapped. "Daniel…your son told me in 2008 that Gene had another girlfriend after you. Alex Drake. Me. He also said that she died in 1983. Now I need to know…"

"Alex," Meg stopped her, "For some reason, I've ended up 'ere in 1981 with you. I don't know anything about 1983 or 2008 or anything else like that."

"Well what _do _you know?" Alex demanded, "Because this is pretty damn serious for me! I could be dying in at least three different years!" At that moment, the door of the toilet opened and two women came in. They cast her a strange look before selecting a cubicle each. Frustrated, Alex threw open the door and stepped back out into the corridor.

"Don't 'ave a go at me!" Meg snapped back. "You might think you're Alex Drake, Lord God Almighty, and that the whole world revolves around you but I've got news for you love, it doesn't! Now I'm stuck 'ere until we figure out 'ow best to 'elp you, so if you could give me a sodding break, I'd really appreciate it!"

Alex took a deep breath, "Sorry. I shouldn't have…sorry."

Meg sighed heavily, "Yeah, me too. Come on. You'd better not keep Gene waiting."

XXXX

After bringing her home from the hospital, Gene had apologised and said that he had to go to the station to deal with something important. Knowing that the strange feeling she had had earlier had been down to Meg, and knowing that the other woman was no threat to her, she willingly let him leave. As soon as he had gone, she had expected Meg to appear. But she didn't, so Alex busied herself cleaning the flat, ignoring the doctor's advice to take things easy. When she walked in and out of rooms, she looked for Meg, but still she didn't come and Alex felt bad about the argument they had had earlier.

"I didn't mean it," she said to the room, "honestly I didn't. I know you're here to help me." But still, there was no response.

Evening approached and Gene returned, wanting to know if she felt strong enough to have dinner downstairs. Suddenly needing to get out of the flat, Alex agreed, and soon found herself nursing a white wine.

"You ok?" his voice brought her out of her reverie.

"Fine," she replied, sipping her wine, "just tired." He looked at her as if he expected her to elaborate, but she didn't. "What was the emergency at the station?"

Gene rolled his eyes, "Chris and Ray being complete useless tossers as usual. Leave 'em alone for five minutes and everything goes to the dogs." He didn't elaborate either. "Never mind. Sorted now."

Luigi arrived at that moment with dinner and suddenly Alex didn't feel hungry at all. She pushed her food around her plate, glancing up every so often to see if Meg was in the vicinity. But she wasn't.

"Not 'ungry?"

"What?" she looked at him. He pointed at her plate with his fork. "Oh…no, not really."

"You need to eat, Bolly Put some meat on them bones."

"My bones are just fine thank you," she replied.

"Don't want to bruise meself getting into bed with you."

"And who said you'll be getting into bed with me again," she shot back, sharper than she had intended. He paused and looked at her and she saw a flicker of hurt in his eyes, which immediately cowed her, "Sorry. I didn't mean…" she sighed, "I seem to be getting at everyone today."

"Me and who else?"

"You, Meg…" Alex froze as soon as the word was out of her mouth and she looked up slowly to see Gene looking at her again.

"Me and _who_?" he asked.

"No-one."

"Cause I could 'ave _sworn_ you just said Meg."

"It was a slip of the tongue," she replied, feeling herself redden. "I'm sorry. But if she _was _here," she pressed on, "What would you say to her?"

Gene wiped his mouth and then threw his napkin down on the table, "Same thing I'm saying to you. Upstairs – now."

Alex knew he meant that she should go to bed and rest because, clearly, her mind was troubled. But once they were upstairs, it was as if they were being pulled together by a magnetic force. Hot, sweet kisses, hands fumbling with clothes, the sound of his voice in her ear…it was all so intoxicating and made her body sing like it never had before. This was where she wanted to be. Here, in 1981. Safe in Gene's arms forever. She knew that now.

As she lay in his arms later, she asked him the question again, "What would you say to her if she was here?"

He sighed, "Probably all the things I should 'ave said to 'er when she was alive."

"Like what?"

"Like 'ow much I loved 'er, 'ow much I appreciated 'er…and 'ow sorry I am. For everything." Alex tightened her grip around him. "But she isn't 'ere so…"

"No," she mumbled, before drifting off into another troubled sleep. "She isn't."

In the darkened kitchen, Meg drained the last of the whisky from the bottle she had found in the cupboard and viciously wiped her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks so much for reviewing so far and I hope this chapter doesn't offend anyone's religious sensibilities. (I do believe in heaven by the way!)**

_"You don't 'ave to do this. Please, Derek, you don't 'ave to do this!"_

_"I love you! _Why can't you see that!_"_

_"I know! I understand, but please…"_

_"You don't want me. _Is that it?! _You don't want me. You want _him!"

_"No! Oh God please…please don't…"_

_"Shut up!"_

_"Please…I've got a baby, please…no…."_

Annie had once told her that, when you die, there would be this great tunnel of light and you would get to relive all your best and most wonderful moments. Meg had listened in awe as Annie had described what it had been like in those brief moments when she thought she was going to die, held hostage in the Manchester Gazette with Gene and Sam. Afterwards, she remembered asking Gene what his thoughts had been at the time. His response had been typically acerbic.

_"The Gene Genie was not about to die. Therefore, there were no thoughts of death, comprendez my beautiful?"_

She had laughed and hugged him, glad that the nightmare which had left her nervously pacing around the 'doughnut' was over.

When it had come to her own final moments, Meg recalled that there had been no tunnel of light and she certainly hadn't relived all of her best and most wonderful moments. All she could remember was pain and fear. Pain, as Wallace crushed the life out of her and fear, because she knew it was the end.

In those first hazy moments after death, it had been hard to believe it had happened. She had heard about 'out of body' experiences, but there were something that happened to other people. Freaks. Or something that happened in those terrible movies her mother used to make her watch when she was a teenager. It wasn't something that happened to her and yet, she could see herself on the ground, Wallace slowly removing his hands from her throat, and she knew.

She knew she was dead.

She remembered watching as he rolled her onto a tarpaulin that was lying in the garage and then covered her with it. She remembered seeing him lift her body up onto his shoulders and carry her out to the car, dumping her unceremoniously in the boot. She remembered watching as he drove to the disused factory, tossed her into the trench, and left her there to rot. After he had gone, she remembered looking at herself, willing herself to move, to get up, to do anything except just lie there in the cold.

There was no guardian angel waiting to meet her at the bottom of a cloud covered staircase. No choir of singing angels dressed in white. There was just nothing. A black darkness where she could hear the echo of her own breathing and nothing else. She didn't know how to navigate this new world, and yet found herself watching as her loved ones battled to find her. She saw the grief etched on Ted's face, the desperation with which Sam, Ray, Annie and Chris worked and Gene…she would sit in his office, mere feet away from him and watch as he sank deeper and deeper. As he smoked one cigarette after another and cracked open yet another bottle of whisky. She would talk to him, shout at him, but he never replied or even knew she was there. She was too afraid to touch him, though she ached to, for fear that she would pass right through him and that would be the ultimate proof that her life was over.

She was there the day they found her body. She saw the pain that they all suffered. She sat in the trench beside Gene as he pulled her body to him and held her and she tried to tell him that it was all right, that she was there. But he covered her body with the sheet and left her there.

She stood with the others at her own funeral, watched as Gene and her father traded blows as the graveside. Then she followed the team around as the investigation grew cold and they stopped looking in any direction, least of all in Wallace's.

Then there was Daniel. Her beautiful baby. She would visit her father as he looked after him and watch them together. She ached to hold him in her arms again, to feel his soft mouth against her breast, to see his eyes looking up into hers. She shouldn't feel pain, but she did.

_"Death where is thy sting?" _she recited to herself one day, from a hymn she had last sung so long ago. Whoever had written the words had no idea what they were talking about.

Slowly, the images faded. Like a television screen growing darker. One day, Gene's face wasn't so clear and she rubbed her eyes furiously, trying to bring him back into focus. Sounds became more distant and she would have to strain to hear anything. It seemed that as hope faded, so too did her connection with the real world. With life.

Then, one day, it was all dark and quiet. That was the day she closed her eyes and accepted what had happened. That was the day she fell into the sleep of the dead and hadn't awakened.

Until now.

XXXX

Alex was barely awake when Gene left that morning. She felt him leave the bed, heard noises that sounded like him moving around the flat, and later, she felt his kiss on the back of her neck, but still she didn't wake fully until a few hours later when sunshine poured through the window, lighting her face and pulling her back to reality.

Slowly, she sat up in bed and surveyed the room. It looked the same and yet, since Meg's arrival yesterday, Alex had felt a new energy in the flat, one that she couldn't quite explain, coupled with the never-ending cold. Stretching, she climbed out of bed and lifted her dressing gown from the back of the door. Slipping it on, she walked out of the bedroom, into the living room and padded over to the window. Drawing back the curtains, sunlight spilled into the room, causing her to momentarily screw up her eyes against the glare. Looking out, she saw Gene stride out of the station across the road, closely followed by Ray and Chris and watched as they got into the Quattro. She smiled indulgently at the sight and thought, not for the first time, that she truly loved him.

"Urrrrrghhhhh…."

The groan from behind her caused her to jump and, turning, she saw Meg splayed out on the sofa fully clothed, her hair masking her face.

"Jesus!" Alex exclaimed.

"Close the curtains…" Meg pleaded.

"What?"

"Oh…God…" Meg pulled herself up into a seated position and put her head in her hands, "My 'ead…bloody 'ell…"

Alex stared at her uncomprehendingly and then saw the empty whisky bottle on the floor by the sofa. Striding over, she lifted it, looked at it and then looked back at Meg who was rubbing her temples and still softly groaning. "Are you…_hungover?_" she asked incredulously.

"Mmmmm."

"You are! You're hungover!"

"Keep your voice down, please," Meg begged, "I feel like shit." She raised her head and looked blearily at Alex. "What? 'aven't you ever been 'ungover before? If you were Gene I'd get a pat on the back and a bacon butty."

"Well yes, of course I've been hungover but…" Alex cocked her head on one side, "I wouldn't have thought that ghosts could get pissed."

"Evidently they can. Got any aspirin?"

Feeling like an irritated mother, Alex walked into the kitchen and opened one of the cupboards. Lifting a pack of aspirin, she filled a glass with water and carried it back through to where Meg was now perched on the end of the sofa as though she were about to be sick. "Here."

"Thanks." Meg took two tablets and downed them.

"And if you throw up, you can clean it up."

"Give it a rest."

"So," Alex asked, changing the immediate subject. "Can I ask why you were getting drunk in my living room last night?"

Meg looked at her, her expression a mixture of anger, weariness and, possibly, envy. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," Alex persisted, feeling a little unnerved.

There was a long silence. "No, you're all right," Meg got unsteadily to her feet. "Urgh…seven years abstinence…me body obviously can't 'old it any more. You know, when I was alive, I could drink them all under the table, especially Sam. Well…" she made a face, "Except Gene."

"Do you want something to eat?"

"No."

"Don't ghosts eat?"

"Apparently not, but I 'aven't finished reading the manual yet so…"

"But they certainly can drink," Alex ignored the sarcasm. "You know, binge drinking is a growing problem among young women causing a rise in health problems."

"Binge drinking?" Meg echoed.

"Yes," Alex said, "statistics show…"

"Alex, Alex, Alex. When are you going to get in through your thick 'ead that I am dead? D.E.A.D. Dead. Therefore, I don't need to worry about _binge drinking_ statistics. Oh." She put her hand to her head and sat back down heavily on the sofa. "Maybe I'm not ready to be upright yet."

XXXX

Gene sat on the bonnet of the Quatro watching as Ray and Chris led the immediate investigation into the discovery of a large quantity of drugs at the wharf. A tip off had led them to a warehouse where they had uncovered about ten kilos of cocaine. A good day's work, he had thought. Briefly, it had taken his mind off of the previous night. He wondered if there was some sort of rule against being in bed with one woman and dreaming of another.

Meg hadn't even been in his mind until Alex had said her name at dinner. He had been so consumed with worry about her, and the feeling of acceptance that he was sure Meg would have at him moving on, that he hadn't given much thought to the woman himself. But there she had been in his dream last night, as real and as vivid as the last time he saw her leaving the house in 1974. If he had only reached out, he could have touched her. Could have felt again the soft warmth of her skin. She had made no move towards him and instead had stood, just watching him, a sad smile on her face. To say it had unnerved him was putting it mildly.

After she had died, Gene had never dreamt of Meg. Thought about her, yes, but never dreamed about her. He had willed himself too. Anything to lose himself for a few hours. Even to experience the illusion that she was still there. But to no avail. She didn't come to him at night and slowly, over the years, she had stopped coming to him in the day too, until days could go by and he had never thought of her at all.

In Alex's flat the previous evening, however, he had still had the strangest feeling that something or someone was around. The hairs on the back of his neck would stand on end and yet, there had been no-one there except himself and Alex. It was odd and he hoped that the sensation went away quickly.

"Guv!" Chris brought him out of his reverie, "Got a description from one of the locals about the bloke that uses this warehouse."

"Oh yeah?"

"Bloke in his thirties, skinny with a streak of red through his 'air!" Chris' excitement was palpable.

"Well, well, well," Gene said.

"It's got to be Vinny Richards," Ray said, joining them at the car. "Who else is daft enough to 'ave that 'airdo?"

"Right!" Gene said, clapping his hands together, "Let's get down Vinny's gaff and crack a few 'eads!" Ray and Chris bounded into the Quattro and, as he prepared to follow them, Gene felt the odd sensation again. He turned quickly, but all he could see was Plod standing around chatting. He looked around, in case someone was attempting to conceal themselves…but nothing.

"You coming Guv?" Ray stuck his head out of the window.

"Yeah," Gene replied, glancing around again, "yeah course."

XXXX

"Where have you been?!" Alex demanded as the door of the flat opened and Meg walked in.

"What?" the other woman asked.

"I went to get dressed and came back out to find you gone! I thought your hangover was so bad you could barely move?"

"Yeah, well…" Meg looked away, "I thought some fresh air might do me good."

Alex sighed heavily and then looked down at the carpet to find Meg had trailed in muddy footprints. "Look at the carpet!"

"Jesus, calm down!" Meg flopped down on the sofa again, "honestly, you're worse than my mother _ever_ was!"

"But…"

"It's not as if anyone else is going to see them, is it?"

"But _I _can see them!" Alex raged.

Meg looked at her, "You know, for someone whose been confronted by a ghost, and was shouting at me yesterday that she could be dead in three different times, you seem to have an insatiable need to focus on the _little things!_"

"Have you found something?" Alex sat down quickly opposite her.

"No."

"Then…how do you propose we start? I mean, I have to find out what's going on! I need to know about 1983! I think that's where I am when I'm tied up in that garage. Gene's there…" her mind raced, "and Sam…_Sam!_"

Meg jumped, "What?"

"Sam! Sam Tyler!"

"Yes, I do know who 'e is, you know. I worked with 'im for over a year. Listened to 'is non-stop prattle about doing it _by the book..._"

"Then he's not dead?"

"Not as far as I know."

"Then you haven't seen him? In heaven I mean?"

"Well firstly, I 'aven't been to 'eaven yet, I don't think, and secondly, I 'aven't seen anyone except living people since I died." She paused. "If that makes any sense."

"Ray told me that Sam died in 1980, but that he had a life here after he killed himself in 2006."

"If you say so."

"But he must have come back! When he killed himself in 2006, he must have come back and then lived here for another seven years and then…" she broke off trying to make sense of it all, "But if we're all tied up in 1983…then he can't have died in 1980!" She looked triumphantly at Meg.

"I really don't know what you're getting at."

"Why would they tell me he died in a jewellery heist in Manchester in 1980 if he was still alive in 1983?"

Meg shrugged, "They didn't know?"

"How could they not know?"

"Do I look as if I know whether they knew or not?" Meg stood up. "Look, we can't spend our time stuck in 'ere, can we? We're not going to find the answers staring at your rather questionable décor."

"Then where do you suggest we start?" Alex asked, irritated by her companion yet again.

Meg grinned. "The scene of every exciting moment in both our lives, albeit in two different cities."

"Where's that then?"

"The station."


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming!!**

"So," Meg said, "tell me more about this film."

"What film?" Alex asked as they left her flat to head over to the police station across the road.

"_Ghost._ The one you mentioned when you first saw me."

"Oh that. Well, it's about a man called Sam…"

"Convenient."

"…who gets stabbed one night while he's out with his girlfriend Molly. Only, instead of going to heaven, he hangs around her as a ghost."

"Sounds familiar."

"And he finds out that he was murdered and that Molly's in danger too. So he seeks help from Oda Mae Brown a clairaudient…"

"A what?"

"A clairaudient. Someone who hears dead people and…" Alex paused as Meg suddenly started laughing. "What?" They were in the street now, bright sunshine dappling them both and causing Alex to screw up her eyes. "What's so funny?"

"Sorry," Meg spluttered, "but just what _are _you wearing?"

Alex looked down at the tight jeans and blue off shoulder top she had grown so attached to. Accompanying them were her faithful white boots and white leather jacket. "What's wrong with it?"

"Well, I mean…" Meg trailed off and made a face, "It's so…"

"So what?"

"You look terrible," she blurted out. "Sorry, don't mean to be offensive, but you do."

"Thanks very much," Alex replied, slightly hurt, "I was wearing this yesterday when we went to the hospital and you didn't say anything then."

"I must 'ave been looking elsewhere." Meg shook her head, "I guess it's true after all then."

"What is?"

"Fashion died when I did."

Alex looked her companion up and down and took in the flared jeans and floating top she had on. "Yes well…if anyone could see you now they'd say you were so last decade!" With that, she flounced off in the direction of the front door of the station, Meg's laughter trailing behind her.

"I _am _so last decade!" She called, catching up with her at the bottom of the stairs, "Anyway, you were saying about the woman who hears dead people."

"Oh just forget it!" Alex threw the door open and stormed inside, slamming it behind her. Viv, ensconced at the front desk, jumped.

"Morning Ma'am," he greeted her courteously, "I didn't think you were coming back for a few days."

"Yes well, I…" she paused, wondering exactly what she was doing here, "We…I mean I…I just wanted to pick something up."

"Ok," Viv nodded.

"Right then."

"Right."

"I'll go and…pick it up." She walked away from the desk down the corridor towards CID.

"You're really not very good at this, are you?" Meg said, falling into step beside her.

"Yes, thank you, we've already covered my frailities!" Alex snapped. "Perhaps we should focus on some of yours!"

"Like what? I'm dead. I'm remembered through rose-tinted specs. Like a mythical goddess."

"Oh get over yourself," Alex muttered, throwing open the door of CID and noting, thankfully, that it was empty.

"Sorry, but it's…bloody 'ell!" Meg stopped dead and looked around her, up at the ceiling, like Alex herself had done. "What on earth is that?"

"It's called a ceiling."

"Yes, thank you. I might be dead but I'm not daft." Meg squinted at it, "Gives me an 'eadache just looking at it."

"Well not-one's forcing you to look at it!"

Meg lowered her gaze and took in the room. "It's so…bright. Back in Manchester it was like working in a cupboard. It was dead dark and you could barely see for smoke."

"In a few years time, smoking will be banned in public buildings," Alex informed her.

Meg looked at her with horror, "You're kidding?"

"No."

"Gene's going to 'ate that." She walked over and stood at the side of Alex's desk. "So, this is your desk then?" Alex nodded. "No pictures of your daughter."

"I forgot to grab one just before the bullet hit me," Alex replied sarcastically.

Meg snorted with laughter, "Lighten up for Christ's sake! Are you still pissed off about what I said about your clothes? I'm sure you're the epitome of fashion circa 1981 but for me…" she made another face.

"You've made your point, thank you." Alex interrupted. "Why did you want to come here anyway?"

Meg shrugged, "Just wanted to see what it was like."

"I thought you said that we would find answers here?"

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did! You said…"

"I said we wouldn't find any sitting in your flat. I thought being 'ere might give us some inspiration." She turned and looked to the far end of the room. "Is that Gene's office?"

"The picture of himself depicted as the Manc Lion gives it away somewhat." Alex watched as Meg walked towards the door and pushed it open, stepped inside and closed the door behind her. She watched as Meg slowly circled the desk, running her fingers along it, and then sitting down in the chair behind it. She watched her opening the desk drawers one at a time and then closing them, her expression one of sadness.

Alex stood up and was about to join her in the office when she heard a commotion coming from the corridor and moved to the window in time to see Chris and Ray manhandle a young woman down the corridor towards the interrogation room. Gene came behind them, his face set in anger. She moved to the door just as he opened it and they came face to face.

"What the 'ell are you doing 'ere?" he asked, clearly surprised to see her.

Alex glanced quickly at his office where Meg was still sitting in his chair, watching wide-eyed. "I…forgot something."

"What?"

"My…uh…" she glanced around for inspiration, "my…who was that?"

"Who was who?"

"That girl Chris and Ray just threw into interrogation."

Gene leant against the doorframe, "Tanya Blake." Alex shrugged, indicating she had no idea who he meant. "Girlfriend of Vinny Richards."

"And who's Vinny Richards?" she glanced behind her at the sound of Gene's office door opening and saw Meg emerge.

"Vinny's one of the biggest drug dealers on my patch and we just found a shitload of cocaine in a warehouse 'e uses at the wharf."

"And where does Tanya fit in?"

"She was at the 'ouse when we went round. 'e wasn't there but she's going to tell us where 'e is."

"You need a female to assist in the interview."

"The 'ell I do."

"She might respond better to me."

"You're still not well, Alex and you should still be in bed." He tilted his head on one side, "What did you say you came in 'ere for anyway?"

"Oh…" her heart pounded loudly, "it was…"

"Guv?" Chris came up behind Gene.

"Can't you see we're 'aving a private conversation 'ere?" Gene demanded, rounding on his DC.

"Oh…um…sorry Guv, but…well…"

"Well what?"

"Erm…Tanya Blake's taken all 'er clothes off. She's starkers in there, Guv."

Gene clapped his hands, "Good! Might get 'er talking."

"I don't think so!" Alex butted in. "You can't interview her in that condition!"

"Yes I can."

"No you can't!"

"Can, can, can!"

"Look, don't be so stupid! If you do that, Vinny's lawyer will have anything she says thrown out as inadmissible in court." Gene looked pensive. "At least let me talk to her. I'm fine," she added, seeing his expression, "and afterwards, I promise I'll go back to bed."

Gene seemed to consider this for a moment then nodded. "Fine. Let me know what the tart says. Chris, get Ray out of there before 'e goes blind." With that, he moved past Alex back towards his office and walked straight past Meg who was still standing just outside the door.

"Psst!" Alex hissed to try and catch her attention. "Psst!" The other woman didn't move, so Alex let out a low whistle.

"I'm not a bloody dog," Meg said, finally turning and walking back towards her.

"What were you looking for anyway?" Alex asked, keeping her voice deliberately soft.

"I wanted to see if there was anything of me in there. Anything that 'e 'as to remind 'im of me."

"He keeps your picture in his desk drawer," Alex reassured her.

Meg looked up, her eyes shining, "Not any more 'e doesn't." With that, she pushed past Alex and disappeared down the corridor.

XXXX

"Back for more, are you? Oh…"

"It's all right," Alex said, closing the door behind her, "There's no-one else coming in. Do you want to…?" she motioned to the pile of clothes that Tanya Blake had left on the floor.

"Oh…yeah…ok," Tanya lifted them from the floor and started to get dressed, "I only did it so that…"

"I understand."

"Bloody pervs! Specially the one with the 'tache!"

Alex smothered a smile, "Tanya, you know why you're here, don't you?"

"I'm not stupid. I know it's about Vinny." She finished dressing and pulled out the chair opposite Alex, "but I'm telling you now, those drugs aren't his."

"What drugs?"

"The ones they said they found at the wharf. They're not Vinny's. They couldn't be."

"Why not?"

"Because he swore that that was all finished. That there would be no more drugs, no more police, no more of this crap…" she lifted her bag and pulled out a packet of cigarettes, "Do you mind?" Alex shook her head. "I'm so sick of this shit!" Her fingers trembled as she lit the tip and then drew in a lungful of nicotine. "He only got out of jail six months ago!"

"How long had he been in?"

"Two years! Two frigging years!" Tanya shook her head, "He swore it was finished. That he would be there for me and Jenny from now on."

"Who's Jenny, your daughter?" Tanya nodded. "How old is she?"

"Five. And she deserves better than this. Poor kid was hysterical when that lot broke the door down."

"Where is she now?"

"With me mother, who's going to do her nut about this! She told me last time I should leave him but I didn't listen and now, here we go again!"

"Tanya," Alex said slowly, "It's important that we find Vinny. If the drugs aren't his then he can explain and that can be looked into."

"They are his though, aren't they?" Tanya looked her straight in the eye.

"I thought you said they weren't?"

"Who am I kidding?" She stubbed out her cigarette, "They're his. They have to be." She sighed heavily, "When he's not at home, he's usually with his mates. The same ones who served his time with him. Phil Baxter and Ronnie Matthews. They usually hang out at The Swan on Mallard Road." Tanya put her head in her hands and started to cry.

"Thanks Tanya," Alex put her hand on the other woman's arm and thought about how men always let the women who loved them down.

XXXX

Gene was completing a rare piece of paperwork when he felt a sudden draft, as if someone had opened the door of his office and stepped inside. But when he looked up, the door was still closed and the others were still at their desks waiting for Alex to finish the interview. These occurrences were happening more and more often now and he was starting to seriously think he was losing his mind.

"Not even a picture," Meg said quietly, "Not even one." She sat down in the chair opposite him as he bent his head again. "But then I suppose there weren't many now I come to think about it. We weren't really ones for 'aving our photos taken, were we? None of Daniel either. Doesn't me dad send you any?" She said this, in the vain hope that he might answer her, but he didn't. "'Ow is 'e? Do you see 'im much?" she continued regardless. "Alex says that in 2008 'e's a doctor. Can you imagine that, Gene? Our son a doctor. Who would 'ave thought it, eh?"

The phone rang at that moment and Gene lifted it. "What?" There was a pause. "Well 'urry up and get it! I want that 'ouse searched tonight!" With that, he slammed the receiver down and picked up his pen again.

"You 'aven't changed a bit. Still the same Gene Hunt. 'Ave your feelings changed? Do you still love me the way you did all those years ago?" Meg sat forward in the chair, "If I could be 'ere now, real and alive, right in front of you, would you still want me? After everything, would you still want me? Or do you want 'er now?"

The door opened behind her. Gene looked up and Meg turned around.

"I've…finished interviewing Tanya," Alex said, her eyes moving between Gene and Meg. "She's given us a location where we might find Vinny. The Swan pub on Mallard Road."

"Good!" Gene said, "We'll go down there and nick 'im while we're waiting for the bloody search warrant for 'is 'ouse." He got to his feet and looked at her. "You ok?"

Alex looked back at him, "Yes, fine."

"You promised you'd go back to bed after the interview."

"And I will."

"Fine," he leant forward and kissed her quickly, "talk to me nicely and I might join you there later!" With that, he left the office and started rounding up the others, barking orders in that way she knew both she and Meg loved.

"What did you think you were doing?" she asked the younger woman.

"Talking. Not that 'e 'eard me anyway. Guess I need to find meself one of those clair-whatsits."

"Clairaudients," Alex supplied, "I suppose you've got me." She laughed weakly.

Meg looked at her, but there was no amusement in her expression, "I would need someone with no vested interest, wouldn't I?" They both looked at each other, the tension thick between them. "I want to see my son."

"Your son?" Alex echoed stupidly.

"Yes," Meg said, "my son. Now, before it's too late."


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry fot the delay everyone, been a bit under the weather. But here is the next part. Please enjoy and review!**

"What do you mean, before it's too late?" Alex asked nervously.

"I just mean…" Meg paused, "I mean, before it's too late. I don't really know why I'm 'ere, Alex, and I don't know 'ow long for. I want to see Daniel before I maybe never 'ave the chance again."

"I thought you were here to help me find the answers."

"Jesus Christ, it's all about you, isn't it?" Meg snapped, getting to her feet, "Don't bother giving _me _a second thought DI Drake. So long as we figure out how to 'elp you, to 'ell with the rest of us. Isn't that it?"

"No," Alex replied, "I didn't mean…"

"Well I don't need you to 'elp me see my son," Meg continued, "I should be able to do that myself without any 'elp from you!" She threw open the door of Gene's office and stormed out into CID.

"Wait!" Alex shouted, following her. Gene and the others turned to look at her, a knowingly smug smile playing at the corner of Ray's mouth.

"What?" Gene asked, frowning at her.

"No, I was talking to…" she trailed off. Meg was standing at the door to CID, one hand holding it open, looking back at Alex as if daring her to go with her…wherever it was she was going. "Gene…"she said, "can we talk?"

"Later," he replied, "We 'ave to go and nick Richards before 'e does one."

"It's important," she pleaded and was relieved to see the soft relenting in his eyes.

"Right, you lot wait in the car," he ordered Ray and Chris, before walking back towards Alex and back into his office. She closed the door behind him just as Meg slipped inside. "What is it?" he asked her.

"I…" Alex glanced at Meg, whose expression had changed from one of fury to undeniable hope. "I thought that, maybe, you should go and see Daniel."

"Daniel?" Gene said, as if unsure as to whom she was referring.

"Yes, Daniel. Your son."

"I know who 'e is, Bolly, but…"

"He needs to know the truth."

"The truth about what?"

Alex cocked her head on one side, knowing he was deliberately being obtuse, "You know what." Gene looked away. "Didn't you say to me once that you wanted to be able to look him in the eye and tell him who killed his mother?" She watched a flicker cross his face, "Now you can. We both can."

Gene perched on the edge of his desk, "I don't know…"

"He's your son, Gene," she pushed, "he deserves to know."

"In case you 'aven't noticed," he said, "we've got a case on at the minute."

"We can be there and back by tonight."

"Please," Meg begged redundantly.

"Please," Alex echoed.

He looked at her again, "You're meant to be going back to bed."

"And I will…"

"You keep saying that."

"…once we've done this." She reached out and put her hand on his arm, "Please Gene. If not for me then for…" she broke off and glanced at Meg.

"All right," he sighed heavily, "don't suppose I'll get any peace unless I do what you want, will I?"

Alex smiled, "No, you won't."

XXXX

Meg didn't like the Quattro. It wasn't as comfortable as the Cortina, or as spacious. The seats were narrower and from glancing in the front, she saw that the gear stick was slightly further forward. That wouldn't have been any good. Closing her eyes she remembered the times she and Gene had spent in the Cortina, usually him with the driver's seat pushed back and trousers round his knees while she sat astride him, skirt hitched up and pants long since discarded. She remembered the film of steam that would build up on the windows as they pounded against each other, their cries muffled by the radio.

"Happy days," she said to herself as she gazed out the window at the passing scenery.

This time, Alex tried not to make it so obvious that there was someone else in the backseat of the Quattro. She kept her glances behind to a minimum and instead tried to focus on the road ahead. She was feeling cold again, and pulled her jacket closer around her.

"You ok?" Gene asked, looking over at her.

"Fine."

"Maybe I should 'ave come on me own."

"What, and have me miss this momentous moment? I think not."

"It's not a _momentous moment_ Alex. I'm going to tell me son about his mum's killer."

Alex looked at him, "I'm sorry, that was insensitive. I didn't mean…" she broke off and glanced into the backseat. Meg was too busy gazing out of the window to notice. "Do you know what you're going to say?"

"I've got an idea."

"Well, do you know _how _you're going to say it? Delivery is important you know."

"I'm not giving a bloody presentation!"

"I _know _that, but…" she broke off again. "Sorry. I'll shut up."

"You do that," he met her gaze and smiled indulgently at her, a sight that warmed her insides. But even as she returned the gesture, she caught sight of Meg out of the corner of her eye, now clued back into the conversation and wearing the same look of anger and jealousy she had displayed earlier. Her presence was starting to unnerve Alex even more than her initial appearance had. The friendly, mad absurdness of their predicament had gone and in its place had come a cold, bitter sense of rivalry. Alex couldn't forget that whatever Meg was, whatever she was there for, she had previously been Gene's lover and the mother of his child.

"Place looks different," Meg declared loudly a few hours later as they entered the outskirts of Manchester. "Amazing 'ow much can change in seven years."

"Fancy a pint?" Gene asked.

"I'd love one thanks," Meg replied.

"No," Alex said.

"Just one? You know, to steady me nerves?" he persisted.

"No, I think you should just…get on with it," Alex replied.

"'ard faced cow, not even letting 'im 'ave a drink," Meg piped up.

"Will you shut up?!" Alex exclaimed.

Gene looked at her, "I didn't say anything!"

"Sorry," she said, rubbing her head, "it's not you, it's…"

"It's what?"

"The ghost of your dead lover in the backseat," Meg quipped. Alex turned slightly in her seat, enough for her to be able to meet Meg's steely gaze. The younger woman shot her a smile, but there was no warmth behind it.

"Nothing," Alex said finally. They continued the rest of the journey in silence, but she was mindful of Meg's eyes on her back. Eventually, they pulled up in front of a normal looking terraced house with a red door.

As Alex got out of the car, the front door opened and Ted appeared. She watched as he and Gene exchanged a brief look of understanding.

"Gene."

"Ted."

"Dad." Alex turned and saw Meg standing behind her, looking at Ted. "God 'e looks much older than before. But then I suppose 'e is, isn't 'e?" she looked at Alex who nodded imperceptibly.

"I've done what you asked," Ted was saying to Gene. "I 'aven't told 'im anything."

"Thank you," Gene replied. "You remember DI Drake."

"Of course," Ted replied, "You're one lucky woman," he approached her and held out his hand, "You survived. I wish my Meg 'ad been as lucky."

Alex shook his proffered hand, "So do I."

"Daniel's in the back garden," he said, turning back to Gene. "I told 'im you were coming."

"Did you?" Gene asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, 'e seems quite chuffed at the prospect. You coming in then?" Ted led the way back into the house, Alex, Gene and Meg following, and showed them into the living room. "I'll go and call 'im in." Ted disappeared out towards the kitchen and a few seconds later, Alex heard him calling Daniel's name. She sat on the sofa and Meg sat down quickly beside her.

Gene paced around in front of them, jingling the change in his pocket and taking deep breaths.

"You all right?" Alex asked eventually.

"Fine," he replied curtly.

"It's going to be ok," she reassured him, reaching out her hand. He took it and squeezed it.

"God I'm bored," Meg interrupted loudly, "When am I going to…?" She broke off suddenly. "My God…" she breathed, her eyes widening.

Alex followed her gaze and saw Daniel hovering in the doorway, balancing on his crutches, taking them in.

"All right son?" Gene greeted him cheerfully, moving over to him and gently ruffling his hair, "You ok?"

"My God, 'e's…"

"The spitting image of Gene?" Alex supplied quietly so neither Gene nor Daniel would hear.

"Got a broken leg!" Meg exclaimed, "What the 'ell 'appened?"

"He got knocked down by a car."

"A car? But…"

"Sssh…" Alex said.

"Sorry," Meg said, lowering her voice, "You're right though, 'e is the spit. 'e's…I don't know…not what I thought 'e'd be. I suppose I never imagined 'im…" She swallowed hard. "I couldn't imagine 'im other than as a baby."

"All credit to having a good start."

"No," Meg shook her head, "No I can't take any credit. I've missed all this…'is past…'im being knocked down by a car…and I'm going to miss everything else too." Her voice broke and she put her hand over her mouth.

Gene was leading Daniel back towards the couch. "Sit down," he said to Daniel, who dutifully perched himself on the edge of the easy chair and surveyed them. Gene sat on the arm rest next to Alex. "Erm…I…erm…" he looked at Alex as if looking for support. She merely smiled encouragingly at him, determined that it should be Gene who do this. "Well you erm…you know about your mum and…and 'ow she was 'urt…"

"She died," Daniel interjected.

"Yeah, yeah she did…" Gene stumbled on, "Well…you see someone…someone 'urt 'er. Someone liked 'er so much that…eh…that…eh…well…'e didn't want 'er to be 'appy with anyone else so 'e…" he coughed.

"You can do it," Alex urged him gently.

"Tell 'im!" Meg pressed from her place on the couch.

"Well 'e…'e killed 'er." They watched for a reaction from Daniel, but none came. He kept looking at them with the same expression on his face. "But…" Gene continued, "but we've caught 'im and 'e's going to go to jail."

"Will he get out?" Daniel asked.

"No," Gene replied confidently.

"So…he won't be able to get me?"

Alex glanced at Gene and saw him swallow hard against an obvious lump in his throat, "No, son, 'e won't be able to get you. I…I wanted to come and tell you that 'e will _never_ be able to get you, understand?" Daniel nodded. "Good." Gene's sense of relief was palpable. 'ow's your leg?"

"It's ok. It still 'urts a bit. Grandad says I can't go back to school for ages."

"That's good though, isn't it?" Alex said, "You get to watch telly and…"

"But I can't see my friends," he replied, "and I'm missing my schoolwork."

Meg leaned into Alex, "Are you sure 'e's my son?"

Alex opened her mouth to quietly respond but, all of a sudden, she felt a chill go through her and her breath catch in her throat. The room around her went dark, obscuring everything in it. She couldn't see or hear anything at first and wildly threw her arms about, trying to connect with something, anything.

"What's happening? What's happening, what…?"

"Mum?"

"Molly?" She whirled around at the sound of her daughter, "Molly, is that you?"

"Mum, hurry!"

"Hurry? But why? Molly?"

"Please hurry, Mum, please!"

"Molly?" Alex pitched forward, striking herself on something and fell headfirst onto the ground…

XXXX

"Is she dead?"

"Course she's not bloody dead. She's still breathing."

"Oh…she's opening 'er eyes."

"Alex? Alex, can you 'ear me?"

Alex opened her eyes and looked up. Her vision was fuzzy but she could make out two figures bent over her. One of them was unmistakably Gene and the other was Meg…and they were talking to each other…

"She looks terrible," Meg was saying, "Perhaps we should call a doctor."

"Alex?" Gene was leaning down closer to her.

"Molly…" Alex breathed. "Molls…"

"What's she saying?" Meg asked.

"Molly…" Alex gasped, "I have to get back to Molly…"


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the delay in updating, but what with Christmas the time just seems to have run away from me! Not to mention the fact I am currently doing 2 other (non A2A) stories and I really should remember that is always a bad move! Anyway, here's chapter 6 and the mystery deepens...**

It seemed like hours later when Alex came too properly. After gasping and shouting for Molly, she had blacked out again, a frightening moment of nothingness that had eventually, apparently, given way to sleep.

The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes again, was some hideous flock wallpaper, softly lit by an even more hideous lamp. She realised she was lying in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room and her head was pounding. Slowly, she pulled herself into a seated position and surveyed the room. It had to be Ted's spare room. No respectable northern man would have this décor for his own bedroom, especially not one who had been widowed for eight years.

A groan came from the far corner of the room and she looked over to see Gene sat in what looked like a hideously uncomfortable chair a few feet away, his head resting on his closed fist. For a moment, she watched him, then cold reality hit her and she remembered what had happened earlier.

"Molly!" she exclaimed, causing Gene to start and open his eyes.

"You're alive then," he said, getting slowly to his feet. His words were sarcastic, but she could hear a note of fear underpinning them. He came forward and perched on the bed. "'ow you feeling now?"

"My head still hurts," she admitted, "but I have to get back to Molly…" she made to get up, but Gene gently pushed her back down.

"You 'ave to stay in bed just now."

"No, you don't understand…"

"Just…lie quietly, Bolls, ok?"

"No, it's not ok!" She protested loudly, eager to make him realise. "I've been distracted. I've been distracted by everything but now…now I'm back on track and I need to get home to Molly. Don't you see?" She looked at him. "Don't you see that's why she wanted to come here? She wanted to come and see Daniel, her son, to make me remember Molly, my daughter! To make me remember what I have to do and what I have to do is find out what happens in 1983 and get myself back to Molly!"

"'ang on," Gene said, putting his hands on her shoulders again, "Who's this 'she'?"

"Meg," Alex said, "didn't she tell you?" Gene looked at her. "Didn't she tell you earlier? When I fainted, when you were talking to her?" Before he could answer, the door to the bedroom opened and Ted appeared holding a cup. "Does he know?" she lowered her voice. "Does Ted know? Was he able to see her?"

Gene swallowed and squeezed her hand, "Alex…maybe we should get you to the nearest 'ospital."

"No, no, I'm fine," she insisted. "Where is she anyway? She's been hanging around me like Jiminy Cricket since yesterday." She looked at both Gene and Ted. "Is she in the living room? Is she with Daniel? I need to speak to her and ask her what we do now." She made to get up again, but again Gene pushed her back.

"Who's she talking about?" Ted asked, stepping into the room and setting the cup down on the bedside table. "Tea."

"I really think we should get 'er to 'ospital," Gene murmured, "I'm worried there might still be something wrong with 'er."

"There's nothing wrong with me," Alex insisted, "and don't whisper about me as if I wasn't here. I know it sounds strange, Gene but…I mean you spoke to her when I was on the floor," she looked at him pointedly. He continued to look back at her and she felt a sudden sense of doubt. "Didn't you?" She looked at Ted again. "I mean…didn't you?"

"Meg's dead, Alex," Gene said, his expression pained.

"Meg?" Ted exclaimed.

"I know, but…"

"You 'aven't been right since you collapsed the other night," Gene continued, "you know you 'aven't."

"I know I might have come across as being a _little_ bit strange over the last few days," she conceded, "in fact I've probably looked as though I've been losing my mind speaking to her, but how would you feel if you were seeing what I'm seeing? Gene? I mean, wouldn't you?" She suddenly winced, "God, my head…"

"Stay 'ere just now," he said decisively, "I'll get you some aspirin and…and we'll figure out what to do."

"I don't need aspirin," Alex protested, lying back down again, "All right, maybe I do, but I can't stay here…"

"Just for a minute," he reassured her. "I'll be right back." He dropped a kiss on her forehead and then practically railroaded Ted out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"What the bloody 'ell is going on?" Ted demanded loudly.

"Keep your bloody voice down!" Gene hissed, gesturing towards Daniel's bedroom where he could hear his son moving around.

"Why is she talking about Meg as if she were 'ere?" Ted asked more quietly.

"I dunno."

"I don't think she's right in the 'ead Gene. Like you say, maybe she was more seriously 'urt than the doctors thought."

"Maybe."

"I mean what were you thinking dragging 'er all the way up 'ere with you?"

"It was 'er idea!" Gene snapped, making his way downstairs towards the kitchen, "do you 'ave any aspirin?"

"Yes," Ted replied, rummaging through one of the drawers and handing a packet to him. "You should get 'er to an 'ospital."

"I know."

"I don't want 'er saying something to Danny that might upset 'im." Ted looked hard at him, "I mean it, Gene."

"All right I get it. Thank you very much!" Gene ran a hand through his hair. "It's…unnerving."

"I'll say," Ted leaned back against the table, "You 'aving it off with 'er then?"

"What?"

"I'm not blind, despite what you might think." He looked at the floor. "She the first?"

"The first what?" Gene asked, deliberately avoiding the answer to the question.

"Don't play silly buggers with me. Is she the first since Meg?"

Gene paused for a long moment, "The first proper one."

"Oh," Ted made a face, "I'm sure she's honoured."

XXXX

"Meg? Meg, are you there?" Alex called out as loud as she dared, "Meg?" There was no reply. "Oh, so when I don't need you, you cling to me like a limpet but when I need your help you're nowhere to be found! Thanks a very bloody much!" She lay back down and put her hand on her forehead. "I should say thank you I suppose," she conceded. "I _was _getting distracted. But then I suppose you noticed that more than anything, didn't you?" Alex sighed and closed her eyes, "I know it must be difficult but…"

"Who are you talking to?"

She sat up with a start and saw Danny standing at the door watching her. "Oh," she said, "eh…no-one. No-one at all."

"Are you ok?"

"Fine," she lied.

"You fell down earlier."

"Yes, well…I haven't been feeling too well," she explained, "and I…eh…"

"I think Daddy thought you were dead, but you're not dead, are you?" he asked innocently.

"No," she replied, "no I'm not dead. At least I don't think so," she added quietly to herself.

He hobbled over to her bed and held out his hand. "This is my mummy."

She realised he was holding a small Polaroid photograph and, taking it from him, saw that it was a picture of Meg. She couldn't have been more than thirteen, in her dressing gown in front of a Christmas tree. "You look very like her," she said.

"Granddad says that as long as I remember her, she'll be with me," he said solemnly, "do you think that only works for people who are dead?"

"I don't know," she said, "what makes you ask?"

"Well, I don't see Daddy very often but maybe if I remember him, he'll be with me."

It couldn't have been a more apt statement for her own predicament. She couldn't see Molly, yet she had to remember her in order to be with her. In order to have any chance of getting back to her.

"Do you think that's right?" he asked her again.

"Yes," she said quietly, "I think that's right."

At that moment, Gene came in and held out the pills to her, "'ere, swallow them down, then I'm taking you to the 'ospital."

"I've told you," she said, taking them from him and putting them into her mouth, "I don't need to go to hospital." Danny helpfully handed her the cup Ted had left at her bedside. "I've just got a headache, that's all."

"Better safe than sorry," he said.

"Oh for God's sake, I am _not _dying!" she exclaimed in exasperation, "I am just trying to find out how to get back to Molly, that's all! I don't need a doctor to tell me how to do that, I just need Meg to come back, _so where the bloody hell are you?!_"

Gene put his hands on Danny's shoulder, "Danny, why don't you go to your room just now, ok?"

"Is she ok?" he asked, looking up at his father.

"Yeah, she's fine."

"But she was shouting about Mummy…"

"I know," Gene said, "but…just you go and play just now, ok? I'll be in to see you in a minute." Dutifully, Danny nodded and hobbled back out of the room.

"I'm sorry," Alex groaned, sinking back down onto the bed, her head aching again, "I didn't mean…"

"Get a bloody grip!" he snapped at her, causing her to look at him.

"What? I said I'm sorry. I didn't…"

"I am _not_ 'aving you upset my son by talking about his mother as if she were alive and well and down in the kitchen making a blueberry pie!"

"He wasn't upset…"

"I am _not _'aving you upset me!"

She made to reply and then saw the look on his face. He was angry with her, so very angry and yet he was trembling too, and not only with rage. He was hurt. The pain was still raw for him, even after all these years, and she knew it. He had trusted her with his feelings, with his heart, and if she were the only person to see Meg, to understand that she was still around, then she had to respect his pain and understand that he couldn't and didn't.

"I'm sorry," she said finally, quietly. "I'm sorry." She held out her hand and, after a moment, he took it in his and she pulled him down onto the bed beside her. She crawled into his lap and held him, or was he holding her? She just couldn't tell. They held each other and she buried her face in his neck and breathed in his scent. If she needed to go back, back to 2008, back to a time when he was no longer alive, she wanted to remember him. "As long as I remember you, you'll be with me."

"What?" he pulled back from her and she could see that the rage was beginning to leave his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said again, "You're right about Danny. I shouldn't have said what I did. But I'm just so…confused and I don't know how to get home…" tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, "I just don't know how…"

"I'll take you," he told her, "I'll take you anywhere you want to go. Via the 'ospital."

"I told you, I don't need…"

"I love you."

His words brought her up sharp. Those three little words that meant so much and yet were banded about so often. She heard them all the time from Molly, but that was hardly the same thing. She hadn't heard them properly, meaningfully for years. Not since her ex-husband. They were certainly not words she had expected Gene to use and yet she could tell that he meant them.

"I love you," he said it again. "I love you, Alex."

She felt a warm rush deep inside, "I love you too." She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him, slowly, deeply, powerfully, as if their melding together could erase all the pain and heartache for both of them. Her head began to swim and the pain started to leave it. He was the one. He was her saviour and she was his. She would stay here with him and together they would find the answers to everything. Everything that was eluding them…

"Molly!" Alex started and jumped away from him. "Aren't you forgetting about Molly?" She looked over Gene's shoulder and saw Meg framed in the doorway.

"No," she said, "I'm not forgetting."

"Forgetting what?" Gene asked, gently kissing her chin.

"That's why you wanted me to come here." It was a statement, not a question and was once again directed at Meg.

"You were in danger of forgetting what you needed to do," Meg said, "just getting a little too comfortable." She never once looked at Gene.

"You're right," Alex said.

"I am?" Gene asked.

She looked at him again, "I need to go home. I have my daughter to think about…and I have to get back to her."

He sighed heavily and looked down at their hands intertwined on the bed, "Why do I always think there's a part of your life that you won't let me in to? A part of you that you won't let me touch?"

"I think you've touched pretty much all of me, don't you?" she quipped.

"I'm serious, Alex," he looked her in the eye, "What aren't you telling me about you?" She didn't reply. "If we're going to be together…"

"Alex," Meg interrupted. "Molly's waiting for you." She gestured out of the room.

Alex wanted to stay on the bed with Gene, wanted to have the conversation he clearly wanted to have, wanted to tell him all the things she knew he needed to hear. But she also wanted to find out how to get back to Molly. "I just…I need to go to the bathroom," she said, pulling away from him and sliding off of the bed. "I'll just be a minute."

"And then we're going to the 'ospital, ok?"

"Fine, whatever you want," she said, backing out of the room, "I'll just be a minute." She turned to where Meg was standing at the top of the stairs. "What now?"

"You said you needed to go to the bathroom," Meg said, pointing to the door. "Why don't you?"

"What?"

"The bathroom, Alex. Go to the bathroom."

Alex looked at the closed bathroom door and then back at Meg. "What aren't you telling me? What's in there?"

"It's a bathroom," she replied, "I would imagine a toilet, bath…"

"Yes, yes, very funny but what is _in _there?"

Meg pressed her lips together, "This is your journey, not mine."

"You're right," Alex took a deep breath, "You're right, it is my journey." She stepped forward to the closed door. "It's just a bathroom."

"Alex?" She turned and saw Gene in the door of the bedroom. He looked rumpled and extremely sexy with it. If she wanted to, she could fling herself back into his arms and have him shower her whole body with love. But then she looked back at Meg, who looked meaningfully at the door.

"I'll just be a minute," she said, reaching for the handle, "Just a minute."

Then she opened the door.


	7. Chapter 7

**If this story appears quite random in places...that's because it is! When I wrote _Dedicated _I pretty much knew exactly where I was going and how to get there. I don't with this, so sometimes I just have to go with my gut and this is what comes out! I hope you'll all continue to read and review and thank you to everyone who has so far!!**

"This is un-_bloody-_believable!"

"Well thank you very much for that Tyler. Really 'elpful comment. Glad you decided to make the trip with us!"

"Shut up! It's all your fault that we're in this mess!"

"_My _fault? I think you might want to rethink that."

"Oh, do you?"

"Yes!"

With a sudden intake of breath, Alex felt herself rushing headlong towards light, so bright that it hurt her eyes and she had to screw them shut to stop the pain in her head getting worse. She heard herself let out a moan and tried to cover her face with her hands, but there was something stopping her.

"Drake?"

Gasping, she opened her eyes and saw, once again, the sight of Gene tied up in front of her. Once again, she felt the restraints binding her arms behind her and, once again, she saw Sam sat on her left hand side.

"Drake…you all right?" Gene said.

"I…" she looked around wildly. The last thing she remembered was stepping into the bathroom and closing the door behind her. What had happened after that? How long ago was that? Was she lying on the bathroom floor? Then the magnitude of where she was hit her. "1983…" she said breathlessly.

"What?" Gene said, "Speak up woman!"

"1983…" she said again, more for herself than for him.

"Oh, well done. Yes, it's 1983 – whoopee! Fat lot of 'elp that comment was too. Glad you came an' all."

"You said 'e wasn't on to us!" Sam's comment was once again directed at Gene.

"No I did not!"

"Yes you did! You said that there was no way 'e could 'ave known who we are!"

"So?"

"So the fact that we're tied up 'ere now would seem to dispute that assertion! 'E probably told Vinny Richards and 'e arranged for all of this!"

"Please…" Alex said, "Stop shouting…" her head was pounding and she began to shiver. "No…" she said, "no, I'm all right. I'm all right. I'm not dead and I'm not dying. I just…just have to figure out what's next." She looked up again and looked around, hoping to see a familiar face. "Meg?"

"What?"

She looked up and saw Gene looking at her.

"Nothing," she said quickly.

"Well then Little Miss Brain Box," he retorted, "what fantastic plan 'ave you got for getting us out of this little pickle?" Still adjusting to her surroundings, Alex didn't reply. "Oi! Going deaf as well as moody?"

"You know you really are a complete bastard sometimes," Sam piped up, "Don't you think a little care and consideration might be appropriate? Especially considering she's tied up, in what I can confirm is a rather uncomfortable position, in 'er condition?"

"Condition?" Gene echoed, "Only condition she's got is brainless tartiness!"

"You 'aven't told 'im." It took Alex a moment to realise Sam was addressing her. She glanced at him and saw that he looked both irritated and concerned. "You 'aven't, 'ave you?"

"Told him what?" she asked, pressing her hand to her head in an effort to stop the pain. Clearly the aspirin she had taken before entering the bathroom in 1981 were not powerful enough to do their magic two years in the future.

"Unbelievable," Sam said, "This morning, you said you would!"

"Said I would what?" she replied, beginning to grow irritated.

"Tell 'im!"

"Tell me what?" Gene demanded.

"Tell him _what_?"

"About the baby!"

XXXX

Gene watched as the bathroom door closed and locked behind Alex. He waited, but there was no noise from inside. No sound of her collapsing against the cistern, no yelps of pain. Nothing.

Meg was standing a few feet away watching. "She'll be all right you know," she said, "she 'as to do this. She 'as to find 'er own path." He stepped forward and reached out as if to knock on the door. "Don't," she said, "I know you want to be with 'er but…but you 'ave to let 'er figure this out on 'er own." He drew his hand back and stepped back again. "_I'm _'ere," she added. He paused and looked at her. _Looked right at her._ And yet…through her. Then he turned and made his way slowly down the stairs.

Meg watched him go, feeling yet another little piece of her heart splinter and break off. She couldn't help but wonder how long before it was all gone. And then what? Would she just disappear into the ether? Was her only purpose here to ensure that Alex found the right path and, possibly, push her and Gene together? Helping another woman be with the man she loved seemed so incredibly self-betraying and yet, it appeared she had little choice in the matter.

"What did I do?" she asked no-one in particular, "Why do I deserve to 'ave to go through this?"

The door of Daniel's bedroom opened suddenly spilling light out into the hallway. Meg held her breath as, slowly, her son hobbled out of the room and appeared in front of her. He was so like Gene that it was mesmerising. Even hobbling on crutches, he moved the same way Gene moved. Her splintering heart ached with love and pain.

He moved towards her and then veered slightly right towards the bathroom door. Balancing on his crutches, he stretched out his hand to reach for the handle.

"It's locked," she said quietly.

"I know," he replied, "I just wanted to check."

Meg's head snapped up and saw that he was looking right at her. Not through her, but right at her. "What? What did you say?"

"I said, I just wanted to check," Daniel said again.

"You…you can see me…" he nodded solemnly. "You can really…really _see_ me?" Meg's heart started to pump harder, faster than it seemed to have done for the past seven years. She tried to say more but her breath caught in her throat and her chest started to tighten. "Danny…" she managed to splutter, "Danny…"

"Are you ok?" he asked, still balancing on his crutches and watching her. He made no indication that he knew who she was.

"Yes," she nodded, finally regaining control, "Yes, I'm…I'm fine." She reached out to touch him, then drew back, the same fear that she had had when she saw Gene coursing through her. What if she passed straight through her son, like she was some sort of sinister spectre? But he could see her. He could _see _her…

Before she had time to react, Daniel turned awkwardly so that he was facing back towards his bedroom. "Do you want to come and see my train set?" he didn't wait for her to reply, just started hobbling back until he had almost disappeared into his room.

She glanced around, as if expecting to see some guardian angel watching, testing her. Was it a test? Should she walk away? "I'd love to see your train set," Meg replied decisively, following him into the room.

XXXX

"What time is it?" Gene asked from where he was slouched on the sofa, a half-drunk glass of whisky in his hand.

"Almost midnight," Ted replied. "Danny should 'ave been in bed hours ago." He made to get up, but Gene waved him back into his seat.

"Let 'im stay up. It's not as if 'e's got school tomorrow."

"No, but 'e does 'ave work sent 'ome for 'im to do," Ted replied, "Can't 'ave 'im falling behind."

"One late night's not going to 'urt, is it?"

Ted snorted, "You'd 'ave made a lousy job at bringing 'im up, Gene. You'd 'ave 'ad 'im up til all hours 'igh as a kite on sugar."

Gene smiled sadly, "You're probably right." He checked his watch even though Ted had just told him the time. "When did Alex go into the bathroom?"

"'Ow the 'ell should I know?"

"It's been ten minutes at least," he sat forward and put his glass on the table.

"Maybe she's constipated."

"Very bloody funny," he walked to the door and then jogged up the stairs to the still closed bathroom door. "Alex?" he called out as he approached. "You ok in there?" There was no reply, so he knocked softly on the door. "Alex? We should be 'eading to the 'ospital soon."

"And I've got a red one, but the blue one's my favourite." Gene turned away from the door at the sound of his son's voice. "No, Granddad bought it for me. My friend Andrew got really jealous and 'e wanted to borrow it but I said no." He walked slowly towards the open bedroom door and peered in. Danny was sitting on the floor, his broken leg straight out in front of him, surrounded by his train set and collection of engines. He was talking as though he was having a conversation, but there was no-one else in the room.

"Danny?"

Danny looked up and smiled, "Hi Daddy." He looked back down at the green engine he was holding in his hand.

Gene glanced around, "Your granddad reckons you should be in bed."

"I should." He looked at the clock, "I should 'ave been in bed a _long_ time ago."

Gene suppressed a smile, "I told 'im to let you stay up a bit longer." He shifted from foot to foot. "What are you doing?"

"Playing with my trains," he replied.

"Can I play?" Danny nodded and Gene came fully into the room and crouched down beside his son. As he did so he felt another chill, like those he had felt earlier, sweep over him. Ignoring it, he pointed at the train in Danny's hand. "That's a nice one."

"You gave me it for my birthday."

"Did I?"

Danny looked up at him, "Granddad said you did."

Gene cursed himself. Every year he sent money for his son's birthday but had never bothered to enquire as to what was purchased with it. He should have insisted Ted told him. In fact, he should have bought the bloody gift himself.

"I like the blue one best though," Danny said, pointing to an engine lying at the side of the bed.

"It's a nice one too," Gene conceded.

"The lady thinks so too."

Gene paused, "What lady?"

"The lady."

"You mean Alex?"

"No, not Alex. The other lady."

"What other lady?"

"The one that looks like Mummy but isn't Mummy because Mummy's dead."

The sentence was said so easily that it made Gene's heart momentarily pause. Then, he felt it speed up again, thumping against the inside of his chest. "Danny…" he said slowly, "when you say the lady that looks like Mummy…"

Danny looked up at him again, "She does."

He swallowed, "When…when did you see 'er?"

"She's 'ere now," he replied, pointing, "on the bed."

Gene followed Danny's finger and looked at the bed. It sat with one side against the wall and was strewn with comics and other toys. All except for one small space in the middle.

Meg sat with her back against the wall and her legs out in front of her. She was too nervous to move. There had been no time to get out of the room when he had come inside and now she felt trapped. Part of her ached for him to see her and another part hoped that he wouldn't.

"There's…there's no-one there son," Gene said.

Danny giggled, "There is."

"No, there isn't."

Meg's face crumpled and she put her head in her hands.

"There is!" He insisted, "She's right there and you made her cry!"

"Danny…" Gene licked his lips, "I know you might want to think that your Mum was 'ere…"

"I didn't say it was Mummy, I said it was a lady that _looked _like Mummy!"

"There is no-one there!"

"Yes there is!" Danny's brow furrowed in anger.

"No there isn't!" The absurdity of playing tit for tat with his seven year old suddenly hit Gene and he got to his feet. "You're overtired," he said, turning towards the door, "I'll get your Granddad to put you to bed."

"No!" Danny shouted.

"Get ready for bed!" he tossed over his shoulder.

"You can't tell me what to do!"

"Yes I can!" Gene swung back around. "I'm…" he trailed off at the look on Danny's face. He reminded him so much of her. That expression of anger and defiance. God, how he wished she was here now. But she wasn't…she couldn't be…"I'm your dad," he said in a rush of breath.

"Everything ok?" Ted appeared at the door, his tone light, but his gaze, directed towards Gene, threatening. "You should be in bed now, Danny."

"Fine," Gene said as Danny continued to gaze accusingly at him, "everything's fine." He pushed past Ted back out into the hallway and towards the bathroom door. He had to see Alex, needed to speak to her, needed to ask her about earlier when she had screamed Meg's name. "Alex?" He banged on the door, "Alex, come on!" He grabbed the handle, but the door was still locked. "You've been in there ages!"

"For Christ's sake, Gene!" Ted came back out of Danny's room and joined him in the hallway.

"Alex!"

"Keep your bloody voice down!" Ted came up to him, "You're scaring Danny!"

Gene put his shoulder to the bathroom door and started to thump against it, "Alex!"

"You'll break the bloody door!" Ted shouted, trying to get in between.

"Get out of me way!" Gene pushed him again and once again put his shoulder to the door. "Alex!"

With a final almighty crash, the door swung open.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you so much for all your continued support and reviews. It's getting weirder and weirder...**

The next thing Alex knew, she had her head in the toilet.

The vomit wouldn't stop coming. Again and again she purged into the bowl as though it was coming from her very soul. She heard Gene shouting her name and could hear him thumping on the bathroom door, but she couldn't answer. Finally, he burst through and stumbled in beside her, grabbing onto the wash hand basin to stop himself falling onto the floor beside her.

"Jesus…" he exhaled, out of breath from his exertion. "You ok?"

"Fine," she gasped, both hands fiercely gripping the sides of the bowl.

"Why didn't you answer me, you dozy cow?"

Alex didn't reply. When it seemed as though she had finished being sick, she grabbed some toilet roll and held it to her mouth in an attempt to slow her breathing. After another moment, she reached up and pulled the toilet chain, the contents of her stomach swirling away from her. Eventually, she looked up at Gene, "I'm ok…I'm…I'm pregnant…"

Gene's eyes widened in confusion, "Eh?"

"Not…not now…" she said, pulling herself to her feet, "in 1983…" she stumbled past him out into the hallway where Ted was standing a few feet away watching the whole scene unfold. "Meg." She looked around, catching sight of Danny's little face in the corner watching her. "Where's Meg?"

"Meg?" Ted echoed, a look of horror crossing his face. He looked over Alex's shoulder at Gene, "What the 'ell…"

"I need to speak to her," Alex said, rounding on Gene where he stood in the doorway behind her. "I really need to speak to her. I need to tell her about what I discovered! I have to…" she trailed off at the look on his face. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "I'm sorry, I don't want to hurt you but…you have to believe me. She is _here_ and she's helping me figure out what to do and I…I need to see her." She felt her eyes fill with tears and suddenly his face was blurred in front of her. Then she felt his arms slip around her and, physically exhausted, rested her head against his shoulder. She felt all feeling drain from her body and the next thing she knew, Gene had hitched her up in his arms.

"I'm going to take 'er now," she heard him say and heard the crack in his voice. She wanted to say something to comfort him, but she couldn't.

"Ok," she heard Ted reply, before her eyes closed and sheer exhaustion overtook her.

Meg and Danny stood together in the hallway watching as Gene carried Alex downstairs followed by Ted. Meg knew she should follow them. Where Alex went, she too had to go. She had heard what Alex had said as she stumbled out of the bathroom and it was perhaps because of that that, deep inside, she wanted to stay with her son.

"I 'ave to go," she said finally looking at him.

He looked back at her, his eyes wide in his head, "Will I ever see you again?" he asked.

Meg swallowed hard against the lump in her throat. "Probably not." He looked down at his feet. "Just…" she coughed to cover the inevitable tears, "just be a good boy for your Granddad, yeah?"

He looked up at her again, "I will."

She crouched in front of him, wanting to touch him, wanting to hold him, and yet still afraid. "Sod it," she said finally and reached out to him. Her hand didn't pass through his flesh as she had feared. Instead, it rested warmly against his skin and she felt a sob forming in her chest. Before she could cry in front of him, she pulled him to her, crushing him against her. He wrapped his little arms around her neck and she buried her face in his, drinking in his sweet, innocent scent, wanting to remember it as long as possible, knowing it may be the last time she would ever see him.

From outside, she could hear the sound of the Quattro's engine and reluctantly pulled back. Tears were coursing down her cheeks, but Danny remained stoic. "My big brave boy," she whispered, gently stroking his soft blond hair. She wanted to ask him if he knew. If he was aware of who she was and why she was there. Sense, however, stopped her. "As long as you remember me…" she said, her voice breaking, "I'll be with you." She didn't wait for his response. Getting to her feet, she flew down the stairs and out through the open door, sliding into the backseat of the car just as Gene began to reverse. He turned as he did so and looked straight at her again. She quickly looked away and watched her father as the car turned in the street. Then she turned and watched out of the back window as he grew smaller and smaller, lit only by the street lamp, wondering if she was the last time she would see him.

Finally, when he had disappeared from view, she turned back around to see Alex slumped in the front seat, snoring gently. "Alex?" she reached forward and gently shook her. "Alex?" But there was no response. Sitting back in her seat, Meg watched the streetlights flashing past as Gene drove, rather quickly, towards the nearest hospital and thought, not for the first time, that this whole experience was turning into a complete and utter nightmare for everyone.

XXXX

"I don't need to be admitted," Alex insisted to the young, overworked doctor in Accident and Emergency some three hours later. "I really, really don't."

"Yes you do," Gene insisted from where he was hovering next to the bed.

"No I _don't_!" she retorted. "There is nothing wrong with me. I just need to talk to Meg, that's all."

The doctor looked at Gene, "Meg?"

"She's my…she _was _my…" he wasn't sure how to put it. What was she? "She's dead," he said by way of final explanation.

"I see…" the doctor said, looking back at Alex, who rolled her eyes in response.

"Look, I know she's dead, I'm not stupid," she said, "but I need to tell her about 1983 and about the baby…" she broke off, "What's the point, I know you won't understand."

"Can I have a word?" the doctor gestured to Gene and the two of them walked slightly away from Alex. "Perhaps it might be an idea to have the psychiatric consultant take a look at her. Do you know if she has any history of mental illness?"

Gene swallowed hard. He didn't want to admit the fact that Alex might be losing her mind but it seemed more and more like that was exactly what was happening. When he thought back over all the crazy things she had said since arriving at the station that day, dressed like a complete tart, he realised now just exactly _how _crazy they were. All the talk of time travel and the daughter that never materialised anywhere…he had always found it irritating and attractive in equal measures, the latter feeling regularly winning out as time went on. Maybe if he had had his eye on the ball, if he had seen her as a member of his team that required his supervision and protection rather than a bird he really wanted to sleep with, this might not be happening now. "I don't know," he admitted honestly.

"I appreciate you might not want that, but I really think it might be in Alex's best interests right now."

Gene shifted from foot to foot. "I…uh…"

"Doctor Fisher is extremely compassionate and really much more qualified in this area than I am but…in my opinion…" he shook his head, "if she's hallucinating about people who are long deceased and fantasising about the future…she needs some help and we can offer that here." Gene nodded finally, not trusting himself to say anything. "I'd be wanting to admit her anyway for observation given what you've told me about the events of the last few days," the doctor continued. "It won't hurt for Doctor Fisher to have a look and, if necessary, have her committed for a short period of examination."

The doctor then excused himself and Gene walked back over to where Alex was sitting on the edge of the bed. "He…uh…wants to admit you," he told her.

"Gene," she said, her voice taking on a pleading quality, "I told you, I don't_ need_ to be admitted. There's nothing wrong with me that a conversation with Meg wouldn't cure!" She raised her voice for the last five words, causing various others in the immediate area to look at her.

"What you said earlier…" he said slowly, ignoring her outburst about Meg, "about being pregnant…"

"It's not now," she reassured him quickly, "I told you, it's in 1983."

_Dear God do you realise what you're saying? _he thought. "Mmm," was all he said.

She reached out for his hand, "I'm sorry if I'm frightening you…"

"Gene Genie? Frightened? Don't be daft," he interrupted brusquely, trying hard to hide his true feelings. She squeezed his hand again and smiled. "Why don't you get some sleep," he suggested. "You're not going anywhere right now anyway."

Alex looked around seemingly in vain one last time and then nodded in concession, "All right." She lay back on the bed. "Will you promise to stay with me?"

He nodded, "Course I will. Where else would I go?"

XXXX

Dawn was breaking as he parked the car at the cemetery gate and climbed out into the cool morning air. The place was silent, the only noise being the faint rustle of the wind in the hedges. As Alex had slept, his mind had turned over and over what was happening. To have lost one woman he loved so much and then find another…perhaps it was too much. Perhaps he wasn't supposed to be as lucky as to get a second chance. After fidgeting in the chair by her bedside, he had made the decision to come somewhere where he might get some form of answer.

Locking the doors, he turned and started making his way up the neatly maintained path to the top of the hill where he knew he would find her. It had been so long since he had been here, too long, that he wondered if he would even recognise her grave. But as he approached, any such fear left him as his eyes were automatically drawn to the headstone and the writing inscribed on it.

_Megan Frances Ryan_

_March 19__th__ 1950 – March 19__th__ 1974_

_Beloved daughter and mother_

_Sadly missed_

Casting aside all thoughts as to how stupid he might look, he crouched in front of the grave. "At least two people 'ave said they've seen you recently," he said. "Do you want to tell me what that's all about?"

"I don't know," Meg said from behind, "I wish I did, but I don't." She had seen him leaving the hospital and had climbed quickly into the car, desperate for time alone with him, even if it was a fairly one-sided experience.

"It's weird," he continued, "'earing Alex go on and on about you as if she knew you. Talking about you as if you were right there beside 'er. Beside us. As if you can 'elp 'er somehow."

"I can. That's why I'm 'ere. At least…" she sighed, "that's why I thought I was 'ere." He didn't say anything. "God…" she groaned, "You 'ave no idea 'ow I feel watching the two of you together. I mean, I know I'm dead and that it's over for me. I _know _that but…but it sometimes feels as though I'm just one breath away from life." She stepped closer to him. "One breath, Gene. As if…if I just did or…or said something…I would come back. As if it had never 'appened. As if it 'ad all just been a bad dream." If only she could make him understand…

Gene straightened up and stood still looking down at her grave. "I love you, Meg and I always will. You're the mother of me son…"

"I love you too," she replied, her voice cracking. "I love you so much…"

"…but I can't 'ave you. No matter 'ow much I might want you." He paused. "You know I don't believe in all this psychic shite and ghosts and whatnot but…please…if you _can_ do anything to 'elp Alex…please 'elp 'er."

His plea struck her deep inside and, for the first time, she understood what he truly felt for Alex. "I'm trying," she said resignedly, "believe me, I'm trying." She stepped forward so that she was standing right behind him. In the stillness she could smell the familiar scent of cigarettes and Old Spice that she loved so much. She could wrap her arms around him, like she had with Danny, and he would feel her…he _had _to feel her…

"I wish I could see you," he said finally. "Even just once."

"I do too," she breathed, closing her eyes, waiting for the inevitable moment of parting. The moment he would walk past her, back down the hill to the car, back to his other life, his new life…

"Jesus bloody Christ!"

Meg's eyes flew open to see Gene standing in front of her, looking at her, his face registering one of complete and utter shock. "Bloody 'ell!" he exclaimed again and she watched as he blinked furiously three or four times and stepped backwards away from her.

She said nothing, too afraid to turn lest there be something hideous lurking behind her in the dimly lit cemetery.

"Meg?" her name came out so quietly that at first she wasn't sure she had heard it properly. Then she realised that he was looking at her. Not through her as he had every other time, but _at _her and his gaze wasn't wavering and he wasn't distracted. He was really _seeing _her and she felt her heart thud loudly against her chest. "Meg?" he said her name again.

"Gene…" she left his name dangling, unsure what else to say.

"No…" he said slowly, "no, no…overtired. That's what I am – overtired." He rubbed his eyes and pushed past her, walking quickly down the path back to the gate. "Getting as bonkers as Bolly."

"Wait!" she shouted, turning to follow him. "Gene, please wait!" He stopped dead in his tracks but didn't turn back to face her. "Please wait," she said stopping behind him. He stood stock still in front of her, but she could tell by the rapid rise and fall of his shoulders that he was breathing heavily. "You're not imagining it, I promise you you're not. If you can hear me," she said, "turn around to face me." She waited, heart in her mouth and then he slowly turned back to face her. "Oh…God…"

"You're not really 'ere," he said, regarding her suspiciously, "are you?" She opened her mouth to reply, but he spoke again. "I'm imagining this. All this talk about 'er wanting to talk to you, for you to 'elp 'er, me coming 'ere…I 'aven't even been drinking!" he shook his head and turned to go again.

"But you can see me," she replied softly, stopping him once again. "And you can 'ear me."

He seemed to visibly recoil at the sound of her voice again and took another few steps back from her. "Just because I can see you and 'ear you, doesn't mean that you're 'ere."

She saw the fear in his eyes, the uncertainty. She wanted to reassure him, but she wasn't sure how. "I suppose so," she said. "But you're not the only one to 'ave seen me recently."

"Alex…" he whispered her name. Meg nodded. "And Danny…"

"I expected Alex to," she said, "that was supposed to be the whole point after all. But Danny…I didn't think 'e would. I didn't expect 'im to…until 'e did."

"'Ow long?" he asked, and she heard his voice waver. "'Ow long 'ave you been…"

"A couple of days." She took a step towards him. "I'm sorry, I…"

"You're dead!" he shouted at her suddenly, bringing her up short. It was as if the initial moment of confusion and wonder had worn off and reality had hit him in the face. "I saw your body! I was there when they buried you! You. Are. Not. 'Ere!"

"Gene…"

"Piss off!" he turned and started striding away from her, back down the hill towards the car, leaving her behind, like he had so many years ago.

Meg stood, rooted to the spot, watching him go until he was almost at the gate, torn between what she knew to be the right thing to do and what she wanted. Then she ran after him, hurtling down the path at breakneck speed, desperate to catch him. Just as she was about to reach him, her foot suddenly twisted under her and she felt herself falling forwards. With a scream she hit the ground hard, hands and knees scraping painfully, her left arm twisting out in front of her, her head only inches from smacking onto the tarmac. She lay winded for a long moment, feeling as though every breath had left her body, rather amazing for someone who was meant to already be dead.

Eventually, she pulled herself up onto her knees and looked down at her hands, torn and bleeding. "Ghosts bleed then," she said to herself. Hauling herself to her feet, she came face to face with Gene again, standing a few feet in front of her, watching. "It's good to see you 'aven't lost your sense of chivalry," she snapped before looking down at her torn jeans. "Jesus, that 'urt…"

It was the sound of footsteps that made her look up again to see Gene striding towards her, a purposeful look on his face. He was coming straight at her and it was only as he was about to reach her that she realised what he was going to do and sense won out over desire. "No," she said, stepping back, putting a hand up between them, causing him to stop in his tracks. "Don't." He looked at her, confused. "I don't know all the rules. You seeing me would seem to suggest there are none but…I don't know if we can touch. I was able to touch Danny but…" she shook her head, "I don't know and I don't want to know."

He looked at her for a long moment. "Why?" he said finally and she knew to what he was referring.

"I'm 'ere to 'elp Alex find 'er way 'ome," she explained, "pick the right path and all that bollocks. Not made a good job of it so far but…I'm trying." She wiped her hands on her jeans, leaving slivers of blood behind. "Just like you asked."

His eyes followed her movement, "You're 'urt. You should go to the 'ospital."

"No," she said softly, "_You _should. She'll be wondering where you are. You _did_ promise to stay with 'er after all."

"I want to…" he shifted from foot to foot. "I mean…" she waited. "Come with me then."

"Maybe you should just go yourself," she replied, "It seems to go better when I'm alone with Alex. Besides," she added, "You and me alone in a car…not able to touch each other…" She felt her insides stir with unquenched desire and could see by the look on his face that he felt the same. "You go," she continued, "you can tell 'er I'll come and see 'er later. I might stay 'ere for a bit," she looked around her, "it's the only place I could probably get some peace."

He nodded slightly and then began walking backwards towards the car, as if afraid that if he turned away she would be gone when he looked back. "Meg," he said suddenly.

"Yes?" she replied, hoping and praying he wasn't about to renew his plea for her to go with him.

"Me and Alex and Danny…we can't all be mad, can we? I mean, we're not all mad, are we? Seeing you that is? I mean, this _is _real, isn't it?" He was babbling.

"No, you're not mad," she replied, "the people that want to see me, the people that need to see me, apparently can."

"Shit."

"What?"

He looked at her wide eyed, "I may 'ave just agreed to 'ave Alex sectioned."


	9. Chapter 9

**Oh my, it's getting amost too weird for me now. I may have to rein in the Twilight Zone-esque-ness in the next chapter....but there's plenty in this one!! Enjoy and please review!**

"What exactly did you say to the doctor?" Meg asked as Gene drove at breakneck speed away from the cemetery and back to the hospital. After his revelation, she had abandoned her plans for a peaceful stroll around her, apparent, final resting place and agreed to accompany him back. _"Though I'm not quite sure what you expect me to do," _she had said.

"I don't know," he muttered, his eyes focused on the road ahead, "'e said she might need to be looked at by some 'ead doctor and be admitted for examination."

"Well, that doesn't mean she's been sectioned. Besides, don't you 'ave to be family to agree to that?"

"I'm the closest thing she 'as to family."

Meg didn't reply. It hadn't escaped her notice that his immediate overriding concern was for Alex's wellbeing and not for the fact that his dead lover had just materialised in front of him, notwithstanding the brief moment earlier when it was quite obvious they could have jumped on each other.

"I'm sure she's fine," she said as positively as she could. He didn't respond, but she noticed that when he moved to change gears, his eyes would flicker down to where her leg was mere inches from his fingertips. The rest of the journey was undertaken in relative silence, Gene occasionally shouting at other drivers who got in his way or were driving too slow for his liking. "Your driving 'asn't changed at any rate," she said lightly, trying to ease the tension, the root of which she couldn't quite pinpoint. "I preferred the Cortina though."

"Yeah well, bigger, better model and all that."

Another crack in her heart. "I suppose so." She closed her mouth. Even if he hadn't meant it in the context in which she heard it, it still hurt.

Mere minutes later, they arrived back at the hospital. Gene parked the car in the first available space and jumped out, forcing Meg to follow suit. He strode towards the entrance of Accident and Emergency and she was forced to run to keep up with him. It wasn't easy, what with her leg still hurting and her palms and knees still raw. Not to mention she couldn't help feeling this strange sensation around her neck…almost as though her throat was closing…

"Excuse me," she caught up with Gene as he accosted the first person he saw in a white coat, "'as Alex Drake been admitted yet?"

"Sorry, you'll have to check with the front desk," the doctor replied, scuttling away before Gene could continue. Ignoring the helpful hint, he pounded his way round the corner to the bed where he had left Alex but, instead, came face to face with a woman old enough to be her great grandmother.

"I left 'er right 'ere," he said to no-one in particular, doubling back on himself and causing Meg to jump to one side to avoid being crashed into.

Or not.

"Oi doc!" he hurried forward, "Where is she?"

The doctor Gene had spoken to earlier looked at him uncomfortably, "Ah…Mr Hunt. We were wondering where…"

"I left 'er sleeping _right there_," he pointed back without looking and Meg jumped to avoid his finger.

Or not.

"I'm afraid that there was a slight complication after you left," the doctor was explaining. "After you left, Miss Drake couldn't be roused and we've had to move her upstairs to be monitored. I can have a nurse show you the way."

"Couldn't be roused?" Gene echoed and, once again, Meg saw fear and concern in her face.

"She's unconscious," the doctor explained, "Upstairs in the intensive care unit. She's being closely monitored…"

"Where?" Gene demanded.

"Fourth floor. Like I said, I can have a nurse…" Gene didn't let the doctor finish. He turned quickly and hurried back out of the immediate area towards the lifts. Meg paused, about to thank the doctor and offer an apologetic smile for Gene's brusqueness, but he simply turned and walked away from her. Sighing, she made to follow Gene, managing to slide into the lift just before it closed.

"You ok?" she asked, glancing at him as he stared fixedly on the numbers on the panel as they rose. He didn't reply and she could almost hear the crack of another splinter in her heart. The tightness returned to her throat and she coughed, as if there was something lodged in it, but it made no difference. She cleared her throat twice more which caused Gene to turn and look at her, an irritated expression on his face. "Gene…" she wanted to say so much to him but was prevented by the lift doors pinging open and Gene striding out ahead of her.

Meg trailed behind, losing sight of him as he pushed through a set of double doors into what was clearly marked as the Intensive Care Unit. Pausing, she glanced down at her raw palms and clenched her fists, as if the pain was a sign that this was all really happening, took a deep breath and followed him inside. At first, she couldn't see him. The light in the ward was much more muted than it had been in Accident and Emergency and she was struck by the quietness. Walking forward, she realised that her shoes made no noise on the linoleum and nurses and doctors glided past her, oblivious to her presence. A lot of people might have enjoyed being somewhat invisible, but it was started to grate on her now.

"What's _wrong _with 'er?!"

She turned sharply to her left and saw Gene standing at the side of one of the beds, practically pinning a doctor to the wall.

"At the moment, we're not sure," the doctor was saying, "we're running tests but really, you shouldn't be in here. It's family only."

"I _am _family," Gene growled.

Meg shifted her gaze and looked down to see Alex lying in the bed. Her eyes were closed, there was a tube protruding from her mouth and a constant bleeping sound from the heart monitor machine next to the bed.

"Yes…well…" the doctor mumbled, "Like I said, we're waiting for some results. If you want to stay, I suppose I can't stop you." Gene stepped back from him and Meg saw the younger man visibly relax. "I'll just…" he stepped past Gene and walked quickly out of the ward and through the double doors. Meg watched as they soundlessly swung into place behind him and then turned back to where Gene was standing glaring at her.

"What's 'appened to 'er?" he demanded.

"Do I look like a doctor?" Meg tossed back, her temper finally breaking.

"No, you look like a bloody ghost so tell me what the sodding 'ell is going on!" After speaking, he glanced around to make sure no-one had heard him, but there were only two other nurses in sight and they were at the far end of the ward.

"I don't _know_!" she replied viciously, "I told you earlier I don't understand all of this. I'm just 'ere to…"

"Guide Alex, I know," he interrupted, slightly quieter. "Not doing such a brilliant job though are you? _Look _at 'er!" He gestured to the motionless form in the bed in front of them.

Meg winced. He was right.

"The last thing she was talking about," he continued, "was about being pregnant in 1983." He looked expectantly at her.

"I didn't know about that."

"What do you mean you didn't bloody know!" he threw back at her, "You _must_ 'ave known!"

"The first I 'eard of it was when she came out me dad's bathroom mumbling about it! I'm 'ere to 'elp 'er find 'er way, Gene, not drip feed 'er the answers! I don't know them!" Meg glanced around, "And you might want to keep your voice down unless you want the doctors to section _you _for fighting with thin bloody air!"

Gene sighed heavily and turned away from her, sinking down into the chair beside Alex's bedside. Meg hovered beside him, desperate to put her hand on his shoulder, to crouch beside him and turn his face to her, to kiss him…she shook herself and coughed again as her throat tightened once more. Her gaze eventually fell on the bag containing Alex's personal belongings. Lifting it, she started looking through it.

"Do you think you should be doing that?" Gene asked, watching her.

"I don't think she's going to mind, do you?" Meg replied, making a face at him.

"No, but other people in 'ere might think it a bit strange to see a bloody levitating bag!"

Meg dropped the bag on the bed and looked around. No-one appeared unduly concerned with what was happening at Alex Drake's bedside. "Do you think that's what they can see?" she asked.

"You're the ghost, you tell me." He rubbed his hands over his face and she distinctly heard him mutter, "Can't believe I'm talking to you…bloody mental...not even 'ere..."

"Like I told Alex," she said, ignoring him, "I 'aven't finished reading the manual yet. Sod it," she lifted the bag again, "if anyone says anything, just make something up. You always were good at making excuses for me in the old days."

He looked up, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth. She returned it, and for a moment they held each other gazes, as if suspended in time and space, sharing a common memory of happier times. Finally tearing her gaze away, Meg rifled through Alex's belongings until she came across a tiny notepad stuffed between her jeans and that hideous blue top. Dropping the rest of the items back onto the bed, she opened the notepad. Most of the pages were blank, but on one of them, Alex had jotted something down in her spidery handwriting.

"What's that?" Gene asked.

Meg held out the notepad, "1983," she quoted from what Alex had written. "She was going on about that the other day." Gene took the notepad from her and she stretched over to tap the page. "Who's Vinnny Richards?"

**1983**

"About the baby!"

_Baby? Baby? What in God's name…? Where am I? I'm back here. I'm back here again. But I was in the hospital. What happened in the hospital? How much time has passed?_

Alex forced herself to focus and the first thing she saw was the look of surprise on Gene's face directly in front of her as the echo of Sam's words died away. "Baby…" she echoed, without meaning to.

"Shit…" Gene said.

"But I'm not…I mean, I can't be…" she fought for what she really wanted to say, but although her brain knew the right words, her mouth wouldn't formulate them. "I'm not pregnant. I'm…not here. This is…this is not real. 1981…I'm in 1981…I…"

Sam glanced at Gene, struck by the look of devastation on his face. "What's she on about?"

He shook his head, "These last few days…I've thought…maybe…" he sighed, "It can't be 'appening again, Sam, it can't be. I'm not sure I can take it."

"What can't be 'appening again?" Sam asked.

"She's been fine. She's been…stable…"

"Gene…" Alex looked at him again, but now he wouldn't meet her gaze, "Gene I'm not pregnant. I can't be pregnant. I'm not even really here…I can't be. _You're _dead…" she gestured with her head towards Sam, "and I'm…I'm in a hospital in…in 1981. _You _think I'm going mad and…"

"What's going on?" Sam demanded. "What do you mean, _she's been stable_?"

"Alex, did you take your medication?" Gene ignored him, looking at her once again.

_Medication? _"What medication?" she asked.

"Did you take it? This morning, did you take it?" he repeated.

"I'm not on any medication. I'm not pregnant. I'm not here." She tried to reassure herself. "This is a test. Meg's set me a test, I know she has. It's all part of finding out how I get home. That's it." She looked around, expecting to see the younger woman appear. "That's all it is."

"Did you say _Meg_?" Sam asked.

"Any minute now, she'll come and help me. She'll get me back to 1981. We were just there," she looked at Gene, "We were. We were at the hospital. You were worried about me because of what had happened at Ted's house in the bathroom. About me seeing Meg…about what Wallace did. It's going to absolutely fine because I am going to get back there any minute now. All of this is just another one of my constructs. I've constructed 1983 from my construct in 1981." She waited, waited for something to strike her. Waited for Meg to appear, but there was only silence.

"We 'ave to get out of 'ere," Gene said quietly, his tone slightly panicked. "She obviously 'asn't taken her medication. I should 'ave been watching 'er. I'm _supposed _to watch 'er…"

"What medication?" Sam asked. "What are you _talking_ about?"

"I don't 'ave time to give you a bleeding summary of the last two years, Tyler…"

"Try!"

"She's schizophrenic, ok? 'appy now? She's on medication which she's supposed to take every day to keep the hallucinations at bay…"

"Schizophrenic?" Sam echoed.

"I am _not _schizophrenic!" Alex said derisively, "That's just typical of you men. You don't understand a woman so you label her with a mental illness! Jesus, Meg's going to _love _this when I tell her."

"They said she could 'ave 'ad it for years, but the symptoms really appeared after she was kidnapped by Wallace. She started having hallucinations about being from the future and 'aving to get back there. Then she claimed she could see Meg," Gene continued, "Then there were the mood swings…" he broke off, "she's been stable for over a year since they found the right mood stabilizers for 'er. She's been back at work, she's been fine…"

"Shut up! Shut up!" Alex shouted, "I am _not _schizophrenic you _idiot!_"

Gene opened his mouth to reply, but the sound of a loud bang made him close it again.

"'e's back," Sam said. "We 'ave to work out what we're going to do and fast."

"We 'ave to get 'er out of 'ere," Gene said.

"'ow do you propose we do that?" Sam demanded, "In case you 'adn't noticed, we're a little bit tied up at the moment!"

There came the sound of a heavy metal door being pulled back.

"'e's going to kill us," Sam said, "'e is going to kill us _now!_"

Pain suddenly shot through Alex's body and she cried out with the ferocity of it. It was as though she was being ripped in two. Struggling with her restraints, she cried out again as her head began to pound painfully.

"Alex? Alex, look at me!"

She could hear Gene's voice, but she could no longer see him. Her vision had gone. Everything around her was completely black.

"Alex? Alex, do that again!"

She tried to ask him what he meant, but his voice faded and was replaced by a rushing noise, coupled with the relentless pounding and beating in her head. The pain was unbearable and before she could say or do anything more, she blacked out.

**1981**

"Vinny Richards is a drug dealer, pure and simple. Scum of the earth. A complete toe-rag. Tosser, idiot, twat…"

"I get the point," Meg said, though her words came out slightly strangled. The pressure on her throat was increasing and she was starting to find it difficult to breathe. "Is it just me or…"

"Why would she write 'is name down?" Gene asked, oblivious, looking intently at the notepad. "And why next to 1983...? What does it mean?"

"Gene…" Meg tried to interrupt, coughing again. She swallowed hard but it only seemed to make things worse. It was as though there were hands around her neck, crushing her windpipe, stopping the oxygen to her brain. She pitched forward, grabbing onto the rolling bedside table. "Gene…I can't…"

But he wasn't listening to her. "Alex?" he had dropped the notepad onto the bed and was stretched over towards where she still lay motionless on the bed. "Alex, can you 'ear me? Alex, do that again!"

She couldn't breathe at all. Her windpipe was closed. The oxygen was gone. She sank to the floor as her peripheral vision began to close in on her. Darkness closing in on darkness. This was it. Again. She had failed. Failed to help Alex and failed to help herself. She was returning to that eternal blackness where she had been, all alone, for so long.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Bright light suddenly blinded her and she screwed her eyes up to try and avoid it.

"You can't leave now! You haven't helped my mum."

Bit by bit, she felt air begin to return to her lungs. Small breaths became bigger breaths until she felt herself breathe normally again. The light faded slightly and she opened her eyes to be confronted by the sight of a young girl sitting on the edge of the hospital bed watching her.

"Alex! She's awake. She's awake!" She watched as Gene moved away from the bed and hurried over to where one of the doctors was standing a few feet away. "She opened 'er eyes!" The doctor followed him back over to the bed and bent over Alex, shining a light in her eyes.

"You haven't helped my mum," the girl repeated, forcing Meg to look at her again. "You haven't helped her find out where she should be. You can't go yet. It's not allowed."

Meg put her hands to her throat and swallowed a few times, relieved to find the choking sensation gone, but unnerved at the figure before her. "Who…?"

"I'm Molly," the girl said, "and you have to help my mum."

"Your mum? But…"

"Get up Meg," Molly said, "it's not over yet."

Obediently, Meg pulled herself to her feet, "I don't understand. How are you…? What are you…?"

"My mum's not the only one who needs help. You do too. But you have to help her first. That's how it has to work." Molly climbed down from the bed and stood in front of her. "She's awake now."

Meg looked away towards Alex who had turned her head and was staring unblinkingly at her. Even though she couldn't talk for the tube in her mouth, Meg felt her thoughts. The fear and confusion. The not knowing. The need to talk to someone who might understand.

"I'm trying. I promise I'm…" she turned back, but Molly had vanished. "I'm trying," she finished. She looked back at the bed and saw that Gene had joined Alex in looking directly at her.

"So," he said quietly, so as not to alert the doctor who was hovering a few feet away. "Now what?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks so much for the reviews! Please keep them coming because that's what keeps me going! Remember I said I would tone down the weirdness....well I lied!!**

**2008**

"Molly. Molly, wake up."

With a start, Molly came to, unsure at first as to where she was. The fluorescent lights above her head were blinding and she screwed up her eyes against them. She had no idea how long she had been asleep.

"Are you ok?"

When she felt able to open her eyes again, she found Evan crouched in front of her, his eyes red-rimmed, his expression seemingly even older than usual.

"Is it time to go?" she asked, her voice coming out in a rasp from sleep.

Evan nodded, "Yes scrap, it is." He straightened up and held out his hand. Molly uncurled herself from the hard plastic chair and slipped her hand into his. She allowed him to lead her down the corridor towards the hospital exit and, although he didn't say anything, she knew he was fighting to rein in his emotions.

As they passed various people hurrying back and forth, she felt her mind drawn back to the dream she had had. It had been a strange dream where she had been in a hospital, another hospital, and she had been speaking to a lady with long blonde hair. The lady had looked like one of the women from that Swedish pop group that her mum liked. They had been talking about her mum, but try as she might, she couldn't seem to get a grasp on the conversation they had had or come to any conclusion as to what the dream might have meant. It had been so real that, for a moment, she had expected to wake and find the woman right there beside her.

"Are you going to look after me?" she asked as they neared the door.

Evan paused and turned to face her, "Of course."

"It's just that…you had to look after Mum when her parents died and maybe…maybe you don't want to do it again." She felt the well of emotion start to bubble in her chest again, but she wasn't sure she had any tears left.

He crouched in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders, "Of course I want to do it again. But…your dad might have something to say about that."

Molly lowered her gaze. The last thing she wanted to do was to go and live with her dad and his new wife, the latter of whom made it clear that she didn't like having Molly around. "Don't I get a say?" she asked.

Evan drew her into a hug, "Of course you do. Whatever you want to do…that's what we'll do."

Molly drew back from him and looked back up the corridor from where they had just come. "I want to be with Mum," she said.

"I know," he said with a heavy sigh, "I wish you could be with her too." He squeezed her hand, "Come on, let's go."

**1981**

It was growing dark again by the time Alex was compos mentis enough to conduct a conversation. After she had regained consciousness, the doctors had kept her on the breathing tube for a few hours as she drifted in and out of sleep. Eventually, they had removed it, but her throat had been too raw to talk and she had slept fitfully on and off as the hours had ticked by, only aware enough at one point to whisper, "Gene…Meg…you can see…" before drifting off again.

Gene hadn't left her side. He sat, holding her hand in his, gently stroking her skin, willing her to be all right, aching for her to sit up and call him a lardy fascist or indeed any of the scathing insults she had thrown at him in the past. But she had slept on, her expression shifting between peacefulness and restlessness making him feel so utterly helpless.

He was torn, so utterly torn. He loved Alex with a fierce passion that he hadn't felt for years. Not since Meg, and the fact that she too was mere feet away from him, watching him, watching them, made everything so utterly complicated and confusing.

"Meg is dead," he had whispered to Alex when the other woman was out of earshot. "I know she's dead. I know it's just you and me, Bolly, but…" and it was a big but because he couldn't stop the feelings he had for Meg, didn't want to stop them in fact, and he knew that if she had let him touch her in the cemetery, ifshe had been _able _to let him touch her, then he would have.

At that moment, Meg reappeared at his side. He felt her presence before he saw her and he closed his eyes briefly to try and push away the sensations she caused inside him.

"Any change?" she asked quietly.

"Still asleep," he replied, watching as he moved to the opposite side of the bed and sat down. "I meant what I said earlier," he continued, "now what?" Meg shook her head and ran a hand over her eyes. "You must know summat," his tone was pleading.

She looked at him, "I don't. If I did I would tell you." He sighed and cast his eyes back down to Alex's face. "You really love 'er, don't you?"

Her question brought him up short. Having her here, if she really was here, was difficult enough, but he could bear it so long as they shied away from the topics of conversation that were deadly to all of them. And she was trying to start one of them.

"You can tell me," she persisted. "It's not as if I can do anything about the answer anyway."

"Yes," he said finally looking at her, "I love 'er."

Meg nodded, "That's good."

"Good?" he looked at her incredulously. "Aren't you…I mean…don't you feel…?"

"Jealous?" She made no indication of answering her own question. "Would there really be a point to being jealous?"

"Well…"

"Like you've said yourself, Gene, I'm not really 'ere am I?" She looked directly at him and he felt his insides turn over. "Once this is all over, I'll be gone again. At least…I think I will."

He hesitated, wanting to tell her and yet knowing it would only cause everyone more pain in the long run.

"I know," she said.

"Know what?" he asked.

"I know that you love me."

"Oh, a bloody mind reader are we now?" he retorted, looking away in embarrassment.

Meg smiled wanly, "Something like that."

At that moment, Alex stirred and Gene's attention was immediately drawn to her. "Alex?" Her eyes fluttered and she turned towards the sound of his voice.

"Gene?"

"I'm 'ere love," he reassured her, gently stroking her hair back from her face.

"I don't…"

"It's ok," he said, "don't try and talk." She opened her eyes fully and looked at him. He wanted to kiss her, but having Meg sitting across from him made him hesitate. As if sensing his unease, Alex turned her head to the other side.

Meg shot her a tight smile, "You're back then," she observed.

"I went to 1983," Alex said, pre-empting the next question and swallowing hard to wet her throat, "just like I did before."

"Before?" Gene echoed.

She nodded, turning back to look at him. "When I collapsed in the flat and again in Ted's bathroom." Alex looked back over at Meg."You knew that's what would happen?"

Meg shook her head, "No."

"But at Ted's…you told me to go into the bathroom."

"You _wanted _to go into the bathroom," Meg replied, "I didn't tell you to go in if you remember."

"But you said it was my journey," Alex insisted, "and I wouldn't have gone into the bathroom if you hadn't…"

"It _is _your journey and, subconsciously, you know where to go."

"As much as I love a good catfight…" Gene broke in, "She 'as just woken up from a coma!" He glared at Meg, angry at her and yet not sure why.

"She wasn't in a coma," Meg shot back.

"'ow the 'ell do you know?"

"Please…" Alex begged, instantly cowing Gene. "Please don't fight."

Gene and Meg glared at each other for another long moment before he looked back down at Alex. "Why would you go to 1983? What's so special about then?"

"Danny told me that…that your girlfriend had died in 1983 and that she was called Alex Drake. It had to be me."

"_Danny_ told you?"

Alex nodded, "I went home to 2008 first. I saw Danny. He was my doctor. I told you all this _days _ago." She paused. "After what you're seeing now you still doubt me?"

"Course I don't," he replied as convincingly as possible, lifting her hand and kissing it.

"What 'appened in 1983, Alex?" Meg asked, sitting forward.

Alex put her head back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. "It was…it was strange," she recounted after a long moment of silence. "We were there," she looked at Gene, "You, me and Sam…"

"Sam?" he broke in.

"I tried to tell you before but you didn't believe me." Her tone was quietly accusatory and Gene found his gaze forced to the floor.

"Yeah well," he sniffed, "back then I figured you were just reacting to what 'ad 'appened to you."

"And now?" she persisted.

He looked over at Meg, "Now I reckon it's either real or we're both mad."

Alex followed his gaze, "How come he can see you?"

Meg shrugged uncomfortably, "I dunno. It just 'appened in the cemetery."

"Cemetery?"

"Yeah I…eh…I went to try and talk to 'er," Gene said, casting a careless gesture in Meg's direction. "'er grave that is. Didn't expect 'er to pop out and confront me."

"Well neither did I," Meg replied acerbically. She was keen to divert conversation away from her own experiences and back to Alex's. The last thing she wanted was to let slip that she had seen Molly. "What else 'appened in 1983?"

"We were tied up," Alex continued, "in some sort of…garage or warehouse and…and you were telling Sam that I was..." she paused.

"Was what?" Gene asked.

"Nothing," she replied.

"Why did you write this?" Meg held the notepad out in front of Alex and pointed to where she had written _1983 – Vinny Richards._

"He was there. In 1983, he was there. He was behind it," Alex explained, "he was responsible for why we were tied up."

Gene looked over at Meg again, "We were investigating 'im right before we came up 'ere. I left Chris and Ray to lead a raid on 'is place God knows 'ow many days ago now."

"Gene…" Alex's eyes widened and she pushed herself up onto her elbows, "We have to stop him now. Now…here…in 1981. Maybe if we do that, he might not kill me in 1983."

"You don't know that it's 'im who…" Meg said.

"Yes I do!" she insisted, "Yes I do!" She struggled to get out of the bed, "We have to get back to London…"

"I don't think that's a good idea…" Gene said, getting to his feet. "Alex, you should…"

"Stop telling me to stay in bed!"

"Don't you think someone's going to notice if you just walk out of 'ere?" Meg said.

"Trust me…" Alex looked at Gene, "please…"

Again he found himself torn. Sense told him that she should be in bed. That the fact she was a patient in the hospital was the exact excuse he needed to make sure she stayed there. But he could also see the desperation in her eyes and knew that, as usual, he couldn't refuse her.

"Cause a distraction," Gene instructed.

It took Meg a moment to realise he was talking to her. "Sorry, what?"

"A distraction!"

"A distraction?"

"Flash your tits or summat," he said, helping Alex ease her legs over the side of the bed. "Use your imagination, Meg! You 'ave still got one even though you're dead, aven't you"

"'aven't you forgotten something?"

"What?" he snapped, his attention still focused on Alex.

"No-one else can see me, you pillock!"

At her insult, he looked at her and suddenly realised that she was right, "Oh…yeah…right." He rummaged in the locker next to Alex's bed and pulled out her clothes. "Can't you drop a few plates or summat?"

"A few plates."

"Yeah."

"Right," Meg said, "Ok." With that, she turned away from the bed, walked across the room and out into the corridor, letting the door swing silently shut behind her.

"Do you want me to…?" Gene gestured to the curtain around the bed as Alex started to untie the hospital gown she was wearing.

"It's nothing you haven't seen before, is it?" she said, a small smile playing across her face despite everything.

"No, but I'm guessing you don't want the rest of the bleeding ward to see you starkers, do you?"

"Good point," she agreed.

He drew the curtain around the bed and then wandered out into the corridor to find where Meg had gone. There was no sign of her and for a moment, he wondered if she had gone for good. Perhaps it really _had _all been a strange dream…

The piercing squeal of the fire alarm made him suddenly jump. Momentarily stunned into silence, he stood as doctors, nurses and orderlies began hurrying out of various other wards and rooms. Pandemonium started to reign as beds began to be wheeled out of rooms and people started shouting.

"What on earth…?" he turned and saw Alex behind him, fully dressed, holding the bag containing her personal belongings, but deathly pale.

"You ok?" he asked, instinctively putting his arm around her waist.

"Yeah," she replied, leaning slightly on him. "I suppose we'd best take the stairs."

He nodded and guided her towards the staircase. Amongst the other patients, staff and visitors also making their way out of the hospital, they simply became two figures amongst many. No-one stopped them and demanded that Alex Drake be immediately returned to the Intensive Care Unit.

"Where's Meg?" Alex asked breathlessly as they reached the ground floor.

"Just concentrate on walking," he instructed her. Once out in the cool air, he steered her towards the car park and, as they neared the Quattro, saw Meg leaning against the bonnet looking pleased with herself.

"Did you set off the fire alarm?" he demanded as they came within earshot.

"Great idea wasn't it?" she replied.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure the patients are thrilled about being dragged out 'ere!" he unlocked the front passenger door and gently started to ease Alex down into the seat. Once she was safely ensconced inside, he slammed the door and turned back to Meg. "Take this." He thrust the bag at her. Meg, clearly not expecting this sudden move, reacted too slowly and the bag slipped from his fingers through hers to the ground, causing his hand to momentarily meet hers.

As though she had been burnt by a match, Meg jumped back, her heart beating wildly in her chest. Perhaps she had imagined it. Perhaps it was only fantasy that made her think that she had actually touched him, that he had actually touched her. It hadn't really happened. It couldn't have.

The look on Gene's face told a different story. He stared at her, wide-eyed, and she instantly knew that he had felt it too. Had felt her…

"I should…" she gestured to the car and consciously took the decision to walk around the bonnet of the car to the other side to avoid having to go any nearer to him that she already had been.

Gene watched as she opened the door and slipped inside the car. He suddenly realised he had been holding his breath and it came out in a slow, shaky sigh. He had imagined it. Had to have imagined it. _She was not real_ and the sooner he remembered that, the sooner he reminded himself that she was not back in his life, the easier things would be.


	11. Chapter 11

**A few people have commented on the obvious spark between Meg and Gene. I think there _has_ to be one simply because they didn't split up in 1974 - she died. He's had to accept she's gone, he's moved on and now she's back. He hasn't stopped loving her, he just loves someone else too! But, never fear, I love GALEX as much as the next person and, if she's dead they can't be together, or can they????**

**I also think (and I would seeing as she's my character) that Meg has matured over the course of this story. She started out a bit petty and immature and sulky, but she seems now to have accepted her situation and, to be fair, she's almost the most sensible of the three! In any event, I'm always pleased to hear people's thoughts so please, please, please keep reviewing!!**

_Dear Gene_

_If you're reading this, then I really am gone forever. I'm sorry that I turned up out of the blue like this. There's no way that I would ever want to come between you…_

_Dear Gene_

_The first time I realised that I was in love with you I told myself that we'd be together forever…_

_Dear Gene…_

Meg crumpled up the piece of paper she had taken from Alex's notepad and tossed the offending item onto the backseat where it rested for a moment before rolling onto the floor. She didn't bother reaching to pick it up, instead imagining him finding it months later when this was all over and asking himself if it really had all been a dream. She rested her head back against the headrest and gazed out of the window at the lights from other cars as they whizzed by. They had been on the motorway for what seemed like hours and the sky was starting to change from a hard iron grey to a deep navy. In a few short minutes it would be dark. Gene and Alex were talking in the front of the car but their voices were low and she couldn't hear what they were saying. Perhaps it was deliberate, perhaps it wasn't, but she couldn't help feeling like the third wheel in this strange new world. As though she were intruding on their relationship. In a way, she supposed that she was, and she knew that they both felt her intrusion but, with her feelings for Gene still as strong as they ever had been, it wasn't exactly her idea of fun either.

She stretched in her seat feeling her muscles sore and cramped. Then she paused. Were ghosts supposed to have muscular pain? Clearly she felt pain, most particularly whenever she saw the way Gene looked at Alex, but that was emotional not physical. Wasn't she supposed to be invincible now? Wasn't that meant to be the one advantage of being dead? She thought back to when her fingers had brushed against Gene's and felt herself shiver involuntarily. Theirs was a relationship without a proper ending. Indeed, had she not died, she had every confidence they would still have been together, which didn't help in her acceptance of the fact they never could. Maybe her being here to help Alex was also to allow her and Gene what they had been denied all those years ago; a proper goodbye.

"It's not right, Meg."

Meg jumped at the voice to her left and, looking over, saw Molly sitting in the seat next to her, dressed head to toe in white, watching her with a concerned expression. "What?" she asked, her voice hushed, not wanting to alert Gene and Alex.

"What you're experiencing isn't right. It isn't meant to be like this."

"Like what?"

"You're not meant to feel pain. But then, you know that, don't you?"

Meg searched the girl's face and yet she was giving nothing away, "I don't…"

"You're dead. It should be painless, but it isn't. Something's wrong and you know that, don't you?"

"But…"

"You have to help my mum." The direction of the conversation changed inexplicably and Molly's tone became pleading.

Meg sighed, feeling as though she was being forced to say her next words too many times for her liking, "I'm trying."

"She's dead too and yet she still feels the pain."

Meg paused, "No she isn't."

"She is."

"She's in the front seat," she gestured forward impatiently.

"She's dead in 2008. She died."

Meg felt a sense of panic wash over her. "She can't 'ave."

"2008 is gone. It's only about now. You have to help her find the right way. Please, Meg, you have to help her. At the end of the day, it's the only way to help yourself."

Meg put her head in her hands and rubbed them viciously over her face, "I'm struggling 'ere. I don't know how to…" she looked up and saw that Molly had vanished just as quickly as she had appeared. "Molly?"

"What?"

Meg glanced up to see Alex swivelled in her seat watching her. "What?" she echoed.

"You said, _Molly_."

"Did I?" she lied.

"Yes!" Alex's tone was suspicious.

"Sorry," Meg said, turning back to look out of the window, "I must 'ave been thinking about 'er." She turned back quickly, "Alex, do you feel…different?"

"Different?"

"Yeah…" Meg glanced out of the corner of her eye at the seat beside her on the off chance that Molly might reappear. "Different."

"Different how?"

"I dunno," Meg shrugged, trying to appear indifferent, "Different."

Alex looked at her hard, "What aren't you telling me?"

"What?" Meg asked.

"There's something you're not telling me."

"No there isn't."

"There is! Why…? Alex stopped when she felt Gene's hand on hers. Looking over at him, she could tell by his face that he was silently asking her to leave Meg alone. Closing her mouth, she turned back to face forwards and watched the road open up ahead of them. For a moment, there was silence in the car, then she turned back to Gene. "How long has it been since you last slept?"

"Caught a few hours at your bedside earlier," he replied.

"That's hardly a proper sleep."

"I know that, but it's been a bit tricky of late."

"Sorry," she said, reaching over and lovingly stroking his hair.

"Gerroff," he said, shrugging, "Ain't a bleeding puppy."

Alex withdrew her hand and then glanced again in the backseat where Meg still sat looking out of the window. She hadn't missed the looks that had passed between her and Gene over the course of the last few days, nor the exchange that had taken place in the hospital car park. She hadn't been able to see clearly from where she had been sat in the car, but something had definitely happened which had changed the dynamic of the whole situation imperceptibly.

"There's a service station in a mile," she observed as they whizzed past the road sign.

"So?"

"So…you should get a few hours sleep. _Proper _sleep," she emphasised. "I'm sure neither Meg nor I relish the prospect of being killed because you're too…" she broke off suddenly as the tension in the car appeared to immediately increase tenfold.

"Thanks Alex," Meg said from the backseat, "but I think your concern's a little bit too late for me." There was no malice in her tone, no spite, merely acceptance.

Alex turned and shot her a tight smile, "Sorry." The younger woman smiled tightly in return. "I'm serious," she said, turning back to look at Gene. "I'd feel happier if you had some sleep."

"Thought you were desperate to get back to London?"

"I am, but not so desperate that you get us all…both…killed. Besides, it would give you a chance to call Chris and Ray and find out what's happening."

He looked over at her and sighed, "Are you ordering me to stop, DI Drake?"

A smile played at the corner of her mouth. "Would you obey me if I said yes?"

His response was to indicate at the next turn-off and drive onto the slip road. Within minutes they were pulling into the car park of the service station, its garish lights casting a glow in the car. Pulling to a halt, he switched off the engine. "They do rooms 'ere?" he asked.

"Of course they do," Alex replied. "Come on." She opened the door and got out of the car. Gene followed suit but Meg remained in the backseat. "Aren't you coming?" Alex asked, bending and looking back inside, her expression indicating that she wanted to question the other woman further.

"I'll stay 'ere," Meg replied.

"You don't 'ave to," Gene said quickly. A little too quickly.

"It's fine, really," she said, "I'm quite comfy out 'ere. We ghosts can sleep anywhere." There was a long silence, "Really, go on. I agree with Alex, Gene. You need some sleep. _I _may be dead but I'm not desperate for your company just yet. Or 'er's." She smiled as best as she could. "Go on! You're letting the draft into the bloody car!"

"Ok," he replied somewhat reluctantly.

"Keys."

"What?"

Meg sat forward in her seat and held out her hand, "I need the keys."

Gene looked at her suspiciously, "What for?"

She rolled her eyes, "Despite popular misconception I don't float through doors. What if I need the loo?" He hesitated. "I'm not going to drive the bloody thing!"

Sighing, he dropped the keys into her outstretched palm, careful not to make contact. "If you damage so much as a bloody speck…"

"When 'ave I ever…?"

"The backseat of the Cortina _if you remember_!" he interrupted.

Meg smiled, "I thought you might 'ave made an exception for the birth of your son."

Gene opened his mouth to inflict a retort, but Alex coughed loudly, causing him to look up at her. "Yeah…I guess. Well…" he straightened up, "Night then."

"Night Meg," Alex said.

"Night," Meg replied as cheerily as possible. The doors closed around her and she watched as Gene and Alex made their way across the car park. As they did so, she saw Alex reach for Gene's hand and she turned away at that point. "Molly?" she called out, "Molly? Are you there?" There was no response. "Molly! Come back 'ere this minute!" She was rewarded only by silence.

Frustrated, Meg opened the door and stepped out into the cool evening air. She glanced around the car park but there was no one in sight save for herself. She could hear the sound of other vehicles on the motorway and see their passing lights, but there was no sign of any other person in the immediate area. Walking to the rear of the car she opened the boot, on the off chance that the little girl might be hiding inside. As expected, the boot was empty. "Shit," she said, closing it with a thump. Turning back around, she let out a small scream as she saw Molly standing behind her. "Jesus!" She put her hand over her racing heart, "You scared the shit out of me!"

"Sorry," Molly replied.

"Yeah, well…" Meg said, "Look, what you said earlier about your Mum…"

"Yes?"

"She can't be dead in 2008."

"She is."

"She can't be!" Meg insisted.

"She was hit by the truck coming out of the library. She was trying to find out a way to get back here." Molly explained stoically. "That's what the police told Evan. She died at the scene."

"At the scene?" Molly nodded. "But…but I thought she 'ad to be…alive somewhere else for 'er to be 'ere at all. I thought that this…world…only existed _because _she was alive somewhere else."

"If you can save her now, you have to," Molly said, frustratingly not answering Meg's question.

"But…" Meg threw up her hands, "Why do you, why does Alex, why does _anybody_ think I can 'elp? Why 'ave I been tasked with this? What can I _possibly_ do to…?"

"Please…" Molly stepped forward and Meg saw tears in the girl's eyes. "You have to help her."

The enormity of what Molly was telling her suddenly hit Meg. "But…if you're saying she's dead in 2008…what about you?" _A mother's instinct._

Molly hung her head, "I'll be ok. I've got Evan and my dad." She looked up and a small smile played at the corner of her mouth, "And it's ok. I've got Eddie Ryan Or rather, I will have."

Meg shook her head in confusion, "Eddie Ryan…who's Eddie Ryan?"

Molly grinned, "Your grandson."

XXXX

"That mistake I made earlier," Alex observed, "Telling you that you were going to kill Meg _and _me with your reckless driving."

"What about it?" Gene was standing at the window of the room they had taken for the night. There were net curtains at the window and he was peering around them, trying to see if he could see the Quattro. Not so that he could see Meg, but so he could see that she hadn't damaged and/or removed the car.

"It just goes to show how…how _real_ she is. How…"

"Yeah," he said, not entirely sure he wanted to hear the rest of her sentence.

"I mean…it's like she's the closest thing I've had to a friend since I've been here. Apart from you," she added hurriedly, "In a strange way, I like having her around. I mean, she can be irritating at times but…I'll be sorry when she goes." She sat down at the small dressing table and studied herself in the mirror, her mind once again going back to when Meg had asked her if she felt different. What had that meant?

Gene let the curtains fall back into place, "When she goes?"

"Well, she has to go sometime," Alex reasoned.

"Yeah…" he agreed tracing his toe along the hideously multicoloured carpet.

Alex turned back to look at him, a sympathetic expression on her face, "I'm sorry Gene," she kicked herself metaphorically. "I suppose with all that's going on with me…I forget how hard this must be for you."

"S'ok."

"No," she got to her feet and walked over to him, "It isn't." She slipped her arms around his waist and pulled herself into him. Instinctively, he closed his arms around her and she breathed in his scent. "She was your…well…you were together and she was taken from you and now she's back and…" she sighed heavily, "I'm sorry." They stood together for a long moment, Gene's chin resting on her head. "You really love her don't you?"

Gene froze at the sound of the same question he had been asked hours earlier by a completely different person.

"It's all right," Alex pulled back and looked up at him, "I understand."

He knew that she didn't. "Dunno what you're talking about, Bolly," he replied, planting a fierce kiss on her lips. He held her unwavering gaze, not about to look away first, not about to start opening up to her about how fucked up this whole thing was.

"You were going to phone Ray and Chris," she said finally.

"So I was," he released her from his embrace and strode over to the phone sat on the bedside table. Punching in the numbers he waited, determined that if they had gone home for the night he would string them up by their testes tomorrow.

The phone was answered on the fourth ring. "DS Carling."

"Raymondo! Tell me good news about Richards. Tell me good news and tell me now!" He thumped the table for emphasis.

"Where the 'ell 'ave you been, Guv?" Ray demanded, "We've been wondering…"

"Stuff that," Gene interrupted, "What about Richards?"

"'e's in custody," Ray replied, "we picked 'im up a couple of hours ago."

"Good. 'ow was 'e?"

"Pissed off," Ray chuckled.

"Bloody perfect," Gene said, "let 'im stew tonight and I'll start laying into 'im tomorrow."

"You reckon you'll be back, Guv?"

"Course I will," Gene said confidently, "Good work Raymondo!"

"But what are you…?" Before Ray could finish his sentence, Gene slammed the phone down. "They've got Richards in custody," he turned and spoke to Alex.

"Great," she said, letting out a relieved breath. "I can relax for a little while." She shot him a suggestive smile. "We both can."

XXXX

"Grandson." Meg said the word and thought how strange it sounded to her own ears. "I 'ave a grandson."

"You have two," Molly replied, "and a granddaughter."

"Ok…" Meg said slowly, "and do you…?"

Molly's expression became fearful, "I have to go," she said quickly.

"What?" Meg said, "But, wait I…"

"I have to!" She was looking past Meg at something in the distance.

"But…" Meg turned to follow her gaze and saw a figure dressed in black standing in the distance. She couldn't make out the features of a face but whoever it was appeared to simply be watching her. "I'm sure it's only a…" she turned back, but Molly had vanished. "Molly? Molly, it's ok! It's only a…" she turned back again and jumped. The figure was now mere feet from her and she could now see it was an extremely good looking male dressed in a long black trench coat and smoking a cigarette. "Umm…" she glanced about, but there was no-one else in the car park. "Hello."

He grinned, revealing perfect white teeth, "Hello Meg."

She froze, "'ow do you know my…?" Another, more significant thought suddenly hit her, "'ow can you see me?"

He took a drag on his cigarette. "I know a lot about you. Everything in fact. You can't outrun me, you know, no matter how hard you try."

Meg began to slowly sidle back towards the car door, "Outrun you? Why would I want to…?"

"All you're doing here is very noble but…it won't work."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied, "and why would I want to outrun you?" She repeated her original question.

He shrugged, "Occupational hazard I'm afraid. Most people get uncomfortable in the company of Death."

Meg laughed out loud. This had to be some kind of wind up. Any minute someone was going to jump out from behind the Quattro wielding the latest Cine camera. "Yes well…_Death…_I'm afraid you're a little bit too late because, unfortunately, I am already dead." She smiled smugly.

It was his turn to laugh now, a rich booming laugh that almost seemed to deafen her. "Meg, Meg, Meg…" he chuckled before fixing his gaze on her and she saw how dark and menacing his eyes were. "What on earth makes you think I've come for _you_?"


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks so much to everyone who continues to read and review. It's what keeps me going to write more chapters. This is a slightly longer chapter but hopefully that shouldn't be a problem! Enjoy :) **

"What are you thinking about?" Alex asked Gene as they lay together in the darkness, their breathing still shallow, the sweat slowly beginning to dry on their bodies. She had been determined that, after everything that had happened, they would make love that night. He had seemed slightly reluctant at first. Not that he had indicated he didn't want her, entirely the opposite in fact, but she had felt that his mind wasn't truly focused on her.

That had all changed, however, once things had become more heated. Allowing her hand to slip enticingly into the waistband of his trousers, and still lower, had caused his breathing to quicken and his own hand to stray, instinctively, to her breast, gently exploring the flesh beneath her top. Once both devoid of restrictive clothing, Alex had led him to the bed whereupon he had covered her body with his and slipped inside her with such practiced ease that she could have sworn they had been lovers for years instead of only a few days.

"Nothing." His reply was weary.

Alex pulled herself up onto one elbow and looked down at him. His thoughts had, once again, slipped away from her and his mind was clearly preoccupied. She couldn't help worrying in case it was _someone _else that he was thinking about. He didn't meet her gaze, instead continued staring straight up at the ceiling. Gently, she traced the curve of his mouth with her finger. "You can't fool me, you know."

Finally, he looked at her, "Just wanting to get back down to London and sort that bastard Richards out for you."

_Typical Gene_, she thought. When he didn't want to discuss anything to do with emotions or feelings he reverted to the stereotypical male of his generation. "And you can't possibly think for one minute that I'm going to buy that." She kissed the top of his shoulder gently, "Talk to me."

"Nowt to talk about," he replied, tearing his gaze away from her again.

"Is it Meg?" Alex shifted uneasily in the bed beside him, feeling her body chill. As much as she had previously asserted she liked having the other woman around, there was no denying that her presence was a significant barrier to their blossoming relationship.

"No," he replied, in a tone that indicated that it clearly was.

"Because if it is…"

"It isn't Meg, all right?" Throwing back the covers, he climbed out of the bed and stalked over to where he had earlier casually tossed his jacket. Rummaging in the pocket, he pulled out a packet of cigarettes and lit one, blowing smoke across the room. "Not everything is about bloody Meg, Bolly!" Then, seemingly worn out, he came and sat back down on the edge of the bed facing away from her. "It's everything," he said finally, "every bloody thing." Alex waited patiently for him to continue. "I can't do this, Alex."

"Can't do what?" she asked.

"This. Any of it." He sighed heavily and leaned forward, rubbing his face with his hands. "I don't think I'm strong enough to…" he broke off again and took another long drag.

She felt her heart break at his words, knowing the depths of despair he would have to be in to even utter them. Alex crawled across the bed towards him and slipped her arms around him. He didn't pull away from her and she kissed the back of his neck. "I thought the Gene Genie could handle anything," she said softly.

"Yeah well…" he replied, "maybe the Genie's 'ad 'is day."

"Don't say that," she said, feeling herself shiver.

"It's true," he insisted, "maybe Scarman and 'is lot are right about blokes like me."

"They aren't," she tried to reassure him, "Yes there are things about the police force which must change, which have to change, but…but you don't have to change. You – Gene Hunt. You must _never_ change." she sighed and held him tighter, "Whatever happened to that rousing speech? To being unbreakable?"

"Maybe that's just it," he said, "maybe I _am _breakable. Maybe we all bloody are."

"No…" Alex said gently.

Gene half turned so that he was facing her, "I don't want to lose you, Alex and I'm…I'm worried that, one way or the other, I'm going to."

"You're not going to," she tried to reassure him.

"I love you."

"I love _you_," she lowered her mouth to his and kissed him, "I can't imagine my life without you." He reacted to this by pushing her back down onto the bed and settling himself between her legs. "You will never lose me, Gene," she whispered breathlessly as he gently butted at her entrance before sinking into her again. He moved rhythmically inside of her, his pelvic bone pressing sweetly on her most sensitive spot, his mouth trailing hot kisses along her collar bone and down to feast on her breasts. "You will never lose me," she said again, "I will never let you go." _Especially not to Meg_, she thought and being only human, as she surely was, she couldn't help a feeling of satisfaction spread through her at the thought that she was here, in bed with him, feeling his hands and body on hers, and the other woman was sitting outside, alone in the Quattro.

XXXX

Meg was pacing around nervously when Gene and Alex left the hotel early the next morning. At first, she didn't see them and appeared to be talking to herself but, as they drew closer, she looked up and her face lit up. "Morning!" she greeted them brightly, her voice an octave higher than normal, "sleep well?"

The hairs immediately rose on the back of Gene's neck. In the darkness of the previous night, making love to Alex, he had forgotten what Meg's voice sounded like, what she even looked like. But in the cold light of morning, the reality of her hit him square in the face. But yet, there was something else too and he regarded her critically. He knew her well and he could immediately tell that something was wrong.

"Yes thanks," Alex replied oblivious, "you?"

"Well…you know…" Meg gestured carelessly in the direction of the Quattro. "Are we going then?" She walked to the back passenger door and opened it. "Come on, I thought you wanted to get back to London?" Her voice shook slightly as she spoke and he saw her eyes flicker across the car park. She was clearly keen to leave the area.

"We do," Alex said, walking over to the front passenger door. She looked back to where Gene was still standing. "Gene? You coming?"

He was still watching Meg and, even at a distance, could feel nervousness coming off her in waves. She was giving him that look. The one that he knew meant there was something she was too afraid to tell him. He had seen it so many times in the past, not least of all when she had hidden her pregnancy from him, that it was almost curiously comforting. She raised her eyebrows at him, a classic Meg quirk which almost dared him to question her, dared him to get into a fight with her. Despite the fact that he still loved her, always would love her, he was starting to realise, for perhaps the first time since this had all began, that he loved Alex more and if he discovered that Meg was hiding anything to do with helping Alex then he knew he wouldn't be responsible for his actions.

"Need petrol," he said shortly striding over to the driver's seat and pulling open the door. Climbing in, he watched in the rearview mirror as Meg clipped in her seatbelt. She missed it three times and he could see that her hand was shaking. "Spending too much time with Bolly," he commented casually.

"What?" she asked, her voice slightly strained.

"Wearing a seatbelt like a soft Nancy." He watched as she unclipped the belt again.

"Don't listen to him, Meg, put it back on," Alex encouraged, "safety first after all."

Again, Gene watched her in the mirror as she seemed to be weighing up what to do. Finally, she let the belt slide back into its place at her shoulder.

If she wanted to play this game then he would play too.

Gunning the engine, he pulled out of the space and headed for the nearby petrol station. His attention was drawn back to Meg as she twisted around in her seat and seemed to be looking back at the space they had just vacated. Pulling into the first available pump, he turned around in his seat and looked at her, "Fancy anything from the shop?"

Meg looked slightly taken aback, as though what he was asking her was some sort of trick. "The shop?" Her tone was wary.

"Yeah you know," he continued, "sweets, crisps, fizzy pop…"

"Oh," she replied, slightly relieved, "No thanks."

"Watching your figure?" his tone was acerbic now.

She looked at him again, uncertainly, "No, I just don't need to eat anything,"

"Do you want to come with me?" He could tell he was beginning to unnerve her even more.

"Where?"

"The shop."

"No."

"You sure?" He felt Alex look at him. "Sure you don't fancy the fresh air?"

"No!" Meg was starting to look more uncomfortable now. "Look, will you just get the bloody petrol?!"

"What's up?" he asked her tartly, "Got the decorators in?"

"No," she sighed, rubbing her left eye with her fist, "just get the fucking petrol and let's get going."

Gene's temper broke and, seeing red at her apparent evasion, threw open the driver's door, slammed it shut and then wrenched open Meg's door. She looked up at him in confusion. He leaned in, meaning to grab her by the arm and pull her out, but stopped himself in time. "Get out."

"What?"

"I said, get out." She didn't move. "Are you bloody deaf, Megan?! Get out of the sodding car!"

"Gene!" Alex got out her side of the car, "What on earth…?"

"You know summat," he pointed his finger accusingly at Meg.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied, looking away.

"You might be dead, Megan, but you forget that I know you and I know there's something that you're not telling us."

"There's isn't!" she protested.

"Yes there bloody is, now get out of the bloody car!"

"Gene!" Alex snapped, hurrying around to stand beside him. "It may be early but there are still people around who, right now, think that you are shouting at nobody!"

He turned and looked at her, his breathing coming in bursts, his anger levels almost at boiling point. God, how he wished it was just the two of them, far away from all of this. Far away from all these confusing feelings…

"What's wrong?" she asked him gently. He didn't reply, instead lifting the petrol hose and jamming it into the hole of the tank. He watched as the numbers on the screen ticked upwards. "Gene…" she reached out and put her hand on his arm.

"Leave it," he said shortly, not sure he could bear her understanding right now. Before she could say anything more, he slammed the hose back into its place and stormed into the shop, throwing money down onto the counter and storming out again. Alex was still standing where he had left her. "Get in the car," he said.

"I will _not_," she replied, "not until you tell me what's going on."

He leaned in close to her, "Get in the bloody car."

She opened her mouth as if to retort, then appeared to think better of it and closed it again. Gene got back into the car and Alex followed suit. Meg still sat in the backseat and, as he climbed in, he could feel her eyes boring into his back and, glancing in the mirror again, could see her worried expression. He pulled out of the petrol station and made for the slip road back onto the motorway. They drove along in silence for another few minutes before he swerved sharply onto the hard shoulder and cut the engine. "Do one, Alex."

"I'm sorry?" she said.

"Get out of the car," he said.

"You just told me to get _in_ the car."

"And now I'm telling you to get out," he glared at her and saw a flicker of hurt cross her face. Instantly, he felt bad. "Just…go for a walk or summat," he said, his tone softer.

"Along the hard shoulder of the motorway?"

"Please."

Alex glanced at Meg in the backseat and then opened the door and, seemingly to realise that there was clearly a private conversation which needing to be held, stepped out of the car. Gene waited until she was a few feet away then threw open his own door, climbed out of the car and opened Meg's. "Get out."

Meg paused, "What are you going to do, Gene? Beat me to death at the side of the road?"

"Believe me I'm bloody tempted!" he snapped, "Now get out before I drag you out!" Meg stepped out of the car and faced him. "Now…I think you've got something to tell me, don't you?"

"No," she replied, "I don't."

"Alex was right last night in the car, wasn't she?" he continued, undeterred, "when she said that there was something you weren't telling 'er."

"No…"

"You know more about all of this than you've been letting on. You 'ave from the very beginning."

"Gene, I…"

"I mean, where the bloody 'ell did you even come from? 'ow did you know to come 'ere? 'ow did you know that Alex needed 'elp?!" All the questions he had wanted to ask her came tumbling out, though he wasn't prepared to wait for answers.

"I don't know…"

"You expect me to believe that you just _popped _up one day and decided to come and look us up? I know you better than anyone, Megan, and I know when you're lying to me…"

"I'm not," she tried to stare him down but failed and had to look away again.

"Yes you bloody are!" he shouted at her and she flinched. "I swear," he stepped closer to her, "if you do anything to 'urt Alex…"

"'urt Alex?" Meg gasped, "'urt _Alex_? I'm 'ere to bloody well 'elp 'er! The only person getting 'urt 'ere is me!"

"You?" he retorted.

"Yes – me!" she threw back at him and he saw tears spring into her eyes. "This is all about _Alex_ and about 'elping _Alex _find the right path and about making sure _Alex_ is all right! Well, what about me?" She jabbed herself in the chest, "When does anyone start to think about me?!" Gene stared at her. "I am losing _everything _all over again! All the people I love! Danny…my son…is going to grow up without ever knowing me and you…you…" she broke off and put her head in her hands, "you're falling in love with 'er right in front of me eyes and there isn't a _fucking_ thing I can do about it!"

He shifted awkwardly, "You said…you said you weren't jealous."

"I lied! Jesus, I wouldn't be 'uman if I wasn't sodding _jealous!_" She rubbed her hands over her eyes as her body convulsed with sobs. "I might be dead, Gene, but I can still…_feel…_and it 'urts like 'ell to 'ave to be 'ere at all..._._"

He hated the sight of her so upset. Meg…his Meg…Before he knew what had happened, Gene had stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. The sudden contact felt normal and natural and, if he closed his eyes, he was transported back to 1973 before any of this nightmare had begun, and when holding her like this was an everyday occurrence. He could feel her heart beating against his chest, the contours of her body against his and, lowering his head, he dropped a kiss on the top of hers.

That's when it hit him and he could tell that it hit her at the same time. It was one of those rare moments in life when two people, bound so inextricably to each other, reached the same conclusion about their relationship at the same time. She stiffened in his arms and then pulled back from him, yet still encircled in his embrace. He looked down into her eyes and saw the familiar spark of light suddenly extinguished.

"You're not in love with me any more, are you?"

Her voice was soft, quiet, her face tearstained, and he found he couldn't reply.

"You _love_ me," she continued, "and you still _fancy_ me but…you're not _in _love with me, are you?" Her face searched his. "Don't lie to me." The last four words came out so quietly, he had to strain to hear them.

He _couldn't _lie to her and yet, he didn't want to say the words either. It seemed so final, so cruel. When he had seen her again at the graveside, he had been so overwhelmed by her sudden appearance, and his guilt at letting her die in the first place, that his first thought had been to grab her and hold her and never let her go. But the initial mixed feelings of fear and euphoria had, gradually, given way to a stronger realisation that, like it or not, seven years had gone past. He had changed.

He had toyed with the thought last night as Alex lay in his arms, but he hadn't been able to give it voice until now. Meg had done that. She had laid bare his deepest thoughts, pierced him down to his very core, mentioned the unmentionable…Although he felt relief that his multitude of confused feelings now had a name, it was hard to understand, or accept, that all his pain and grieving over those last seven years could have resulted in this…anticlimax."No," he said finally, and it gave him no pleasure to do so. "I'm not in love with you any more."

"I understand," she stepped back further from him, breaking the secure ring of his arms. "I do. It's…" she looked at the floor, "It's only natural. I died and…and you moved on."

Gene had never felt so terrible. Hurting her was the last thing he would ever want to do, because he _did _love her, _had _loved her, with a passion he had thought could never have been replicated. He needed her to know that. "Meg…"

"And I think I knew…deep down," she continued. "You've been so…so angry with me at times over the last few days that…" she shrugged, "it was obvious, really."

He cursed himself for the way he had been with her, for every word she was saying was the truth. He _had _been angry with her and he hadn't known why until now.

She met his gaze again and her eyes were shining, "Really, it's ok," she smiled tightly, "You're in love with Alex. I've known that since I came 'ere and…and I get it. I understand it. I don't know what else I was expecting…" she broke off and looked over his shoulder to where Alex was hovering further along the hard shoulder watching them and he could see that she was struggling to regain her composure.

"I never wanted to 'urt you," he said quietly, "but…"

"Don't…" she held her hand up, "You don't 'ave to explain, Gene, honestly you don't." She wiped her eyes and quickly changed the subject. "We should…get back to London. Alex seems keen to confront this Richards bloke."

He desperately wanted to talk it out with her, to explain that he would always love her, always care about her, and that his feelings hadn't so much changed as altered slightly. She was the mother of his child. There was room in his heart for both of them…in different ways. "Ok," he said uncertainly.

Pausing as she was about to get back into the car, she turned back to face him, "There's something I should tell you."

"What?"

"You were right in what you said. I didn't tell you the truth earlier. I don't _know _anything but…I 'ave _seen _something and I don't know…"

He stepped forward, slightly triumphant in the fact that he had been right. That he could still read her like a book. "What?"

"Last night in the car park," she explained, "this bloke appeared. All dressed in black and…and 'e said…God I know this sounds mad but…'e said 'e was…Death."

"Death?" Gene felt a pang of disbelief, but the earnestness of Meg's expression made him cautious about dismissing her. "You saw Death?"

Meg nodded and glanced over his shoulder again, "I know it sounds really crazy, crazier than any of this, but it's true."

"Did 'e 'ave an 'orn and pitchfork? Was 'e dressed in red?" It was an attempt to lighten the oppressive mood that had descended over them, but it didn't work. Meg's expression remained fearful. "Gene," she said, "I'm serious. 'e obviously wasn't 'ere for me."

It took Gene a moment to realise what she was alluding to. When he did, he felt panic strike his gut. "Alex?"

Meg nodded imperceptibly. "I don't know 'ow or when or where…" she licked her lips, "and I also saw…" she broke off suddenly.

"What?" he pressed.

"Nothing," she replied quickly, "Do you think we should tell 'er?"

"No," Gene said quickly, "No, it'll only worry 'er Let's just…get back to London and…and see what 'appens then."

"Ok."

He glanced around surreptitiously. "Is 'e 'ere now?"

"No," she shook her head, "'e disappeared sometime last night. I sat in the car all night waiting for 'im to come back but 'e didn't and I 'aven't seen 'im since."

"Good," he replied, "tip me the wink if 'e turns up in the backseat of the car before we get 'ome."

"Doubtful but ok," Meg agreed, a very slight smile on her face. She slid back into her seat and made to close the car door, but Gene put his hand on it, preventing it from shutting.

He looked down at her and could see the pain that still lingered in her eyes. "I _do_ love you, Meg" he said.

"I know," she nodded, gesturing to Alex, "you'd best get 'er back 'ere."

Gene turned and looked to where Alex was making a bad job of examining the embankment, "Drake! Get your bony arse back 'ere!" _Keep it normal, keep it light and I'll feel better. This terrible feeling of betrayal will pass._

Alex hurried back over to the car, "Everything all right?" she asked, glancing to where Meg was watching from the backseat.

"Fine," he replied as brightly as possible, "let's go." He climbed back into the car and shot Meg a look in the mirror. She met his gaze and smiled tightly as he gunned the engine and pulled out into the morning traffic.


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry for the delay folks. I ended up in casualty on Friday night after badly cutting my hand so wasn't physically able to finish this and then, when I had, the site wouldn't let me in!! Anyway, here's another exciting chapter for you. please leave a review :)**

**London**

As he rounded the corner, Gene thought for a moment that the station might have changed. So many momentous changes had happened in his life in the space of a few short hours that if someone had told him that the station had been repainted in a fetching shade of pink he would have believed them. As he pulled the car to a halt, he squinted out of the window and saw that it was the same drab grey building that it had been before he left.

The drive back to London had been undertaken in relative silence. Alex had made the effort to initiate conversation, oblivious to what had taken place out with her hearing, but neither Gene nor Meg had been interested in taking her on. He had kept his eyes firmly on the road ahead, only averting them to glance periodically in the mirror. Meg had kept her gaze firmly on the passing scenery and her jaw tightly clenched. He knew that she knew he was watching her and she was clearly determined not to meet his gaze.

He was also deeply troubled by Meg's revelation about seeing Death. He still found it hard to accept that Death lurked, like some ne'er-do-well, in the shadows of service station car parks, but he had seen the look in Meg's eyes and knew beyond doubt that she was telling the truth.

He didn't have long to dwell, however, as before he had even stopped the car, Alex had opened the passenger door and was in the process of exiting the vehicle.

"Drake!" he bellowed, familiarity taking over. "At least wait until I've stopped the bloody car!"

"No time," she replied over her shoulder, slamming the door closed and mounting the stairs towards the main entrance.

"Drake!" Gene wrestled out of his seatbelt and jumped out after her, "Where the bloody 'ell do you think you're going?"

"To interview Richards!"

"The 'ell you are! Wait!"

Alex paused in her tracks and turned to face him. "What?"

He walked over beside her, "Don't you think it's going to look a little bit strange if you march in there and start accusing 'im of 'aving something to do with what's apparently 'appening to you two years in the future?"

She paused and looked at him, "I have to know, Gene."

"Yeah well, I 'ave to interview 'im about the drugs first."

"Drugs?!" she exclaimed, "This is more important than _drugs!_"

"I am _not _letting 'im put drugs on the streets of my city!" he glared at her, "Whatever you need to know comes second."

"How can you say that?" she searched his face, "I thought you cared about what happened to me?"

Gene's expression softened, "I do…"

"Then let me interview him!"

"No!"

Alex's brow furrowed angrily, "Well you can't stop me!" She whirled around and marched up the stairs, threw open the door and stormed inside.

"Drake!" he yelled after her again. "Stupid, bloody minded, arrogant…"

"Remind you of anyone you know?"

He turned quickly to see Meg standing behind him on the steps. He hadn't even realised she had gotten out of the car. "I am _not…_"

"I meant me."

"Oh," he backtracked. "I suppose." Every time he thought about how alike they were it gave him a funny feeling.

"Aren't you going to stop 'er?" she gestured to the door Alex had just stormed through.

"Oh…eh…yeah…" he darted up the remainder of the steps and through the door, pushing past Viv who was standing just inside. At the far end of the corridor, he could see Alex about to open the door to the interrogation room. "Alex!" The use of her first name made her look up and pause. He hurried up to her. "I told you to wait."

"And I told you no!" She turned the handle and made to open the door but Gene rammed his hand down on top of hers, holding the door closed. "Gene!"

"Look," he leaned in close, his breath hot on her ear, "all you've got is some crazy dream about waking up in 1983…"

"It was _not _a dream!"

"…and 'earing something about Vinny Richards being involved in summat. You don't know bugger all except for that and that isn't much to 'it 'im with, is it?"

"That's the point of interviewing him," she explained, "to get more information. I have to know if he knows anything about what's happening to me. Now _and _in 1983."

"And what are the chances of that?"

"I won't know until I talk to him, will I?"

"No."

"Gene…" she turned so that her back was pressed against the closed door to the interrogation room. He suddenly found the action extremely arousing and felt his mind slipping off stopping her interviewing Richards and sliding on to doing other things to her… "There's something I didn't tell you about 1983."

"Oh yeah?" he said, distractedly, putting his hands lightly on her arms.

"When you were talking to Sam," she said, "you were telling him that I was schizophrenic."

Gene's mind snapped back to the business in hand, "Schizo-what?"

"Schizophrenic. It's someone who suffers from a diagnosed condition of the brain…"

"I know what it is thank you very much," he interrupted her, "I suppose that all makes sense."

"What does?" she asked.

"Well, it proves that I was right. _You _are a certifiable nutter." He poked her lightly in the chest. "Go and wait in my office until I'm done with Richards…"

"But…"

"And maybe, I might let you talk to 'im later."

Alex squinted at him suggestively, "Promise?"

"Promise. Oh and…" he glanced back down the corridor, "Take Meg with you, will you? 'aving 'er 'anging around me in 'ere makes me nervous."

"Afraid she might try and jump you?" Alex teased.

"No," he replied stony faced. "I'm not."

XXXX

After reluctantly allowing Gene into the interrogation room, and running to the toilet, Alex realised she had lost track of Meg. For a good ten minutes, she searched the station for her, eventually finding her ensconced in Gene's office, sat in his chair, her chin resting on one hand, flipping through what looked suspiciously like a copy of the day's paper.

"Who is this Maggie Thatcher woman?" Meg asked.

"The Prime Minister," Alex replied wearily, sitting down heavily in the chair opposite.

"When did that 'appen?"

"1979."

"She looks a right old dragon."

Alex smiled, "A lot of people agree with you." She paused for a moment, examining an imaginary spot on her hand and building herself up to ask the question that had been bothering her the entire journey back to London. "What happened between you and Gene earlier?"

Meg looked up at her, "Nothing."

"Nothing?" she echoed. "It didn't look like nothing from where I was standing."

"It was private," Meg replied, casting her eyes back down to the paper in front of her.

"You embraced."

"Well spotted."

"After all this time…that has to mean something."

"It didn't mean anything," Meg replied, wetting her finger and turning the page, "it just…clarified things for both of us, that's all."

"In what way?" Alex pressed.

"In ways that don't concern you," Meg's voice took on a hard edge.

If Alex had been thinking clearly, she would have taken the hint and shut up, but she was determined to get to the truth, to establish just how much of a threat the other woman was. She needed to know how surefooted her position in Gene's life was. "I need to know."

"No you don't," Meg looked at her, her eyes flashing angrily, "Not everything that goes on between Gene and I concerns you, Alex. When are you going to get it into your thick 'ead that we 'ad a life together _long _before you came along? That we 'ave a child together?"

"Meg," Alex persisted, "I think we both know how this is ultimately going to play out, don't we? I mean, after all, you're dead and…well…I'm not and…"

Meg snorted, "That's what you think."

Her words brought Alex up short, "What do you mean?"

"Nothing," she replied, returning to look at the paper.

"No it isn't," Alex's anger began to match the younger woman's. "You can't just say something like that and then not follow it up! What are you talking about?"

"You're dead in 2008," Meg said triumphantly, "You're already dead there. Molly told me. Ok?"

Alex felt her breath catch in her throat, "_Molly_ told you?" She thought back to that brief moment in the car when Meg had said Molly's name. "Yesterday…in the car…"

"Yes, all right," Meg said, "I was talking to your daughter and she told me you 'ad died in 2008. Happy?"

"No! No, I'm not bloody _happy_! Tell me what's going on! Tell me what you mean! I have a right to know, Megan!"

"Don't you dare," Meg threatened quietly, "Don't use my proper name as if you were Gene."

"What?" Alex asked, bemused.

"Just don't."

"I don't care about using your _proper name_! I want to know what's going on here! How can I be dead in 2008? What did Molly tell you? How can you see her? Why did you…?"

"Why don't you keep your bloody voice down?" Meg ventured. "It might be wise given that we're in full view of everyone in CID!"

Alex glanced over her shoulder and saw Chris and Shaz watching her surreptitiously from the other side of the glass. Trying to bring herself under control, she smoothed one hand over her hair and then sat gingerly back down in her seat. "Tell me," she instructed quietly.

Meg clasped her hands in front of her on the desk. "The first time I saw 'er was in the 'ospital. I 'ad this terrible pain in me neck like…like 'e was killing me all over again. I thought I was dying again. I thought…"she broke off. "Anyway, she turned up and told me that it wasn't time. That I 'adn't finished 'elping you yet. Then I saw 'er again in the car and that's when she told me that…that you'd died in 2008."

"How? I mean…I…" Alex wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer, but knew that she needed to.

"You were 'it by a truck. Don't you remember?"

Alex's mind flashed back to stepping off the kerb at the library, at her phone ringing in her bag and then the darkness that had transported her, at least initially, to 1983. "Yes," she breathed, "I remember."

"By my reckoning…" Meg continued, "The time you were unconscious in the 'ospital 'ere was the time you died in 2008."

"When I went back to 1983 the third time?" Meg nodded. "But how…"

"Maybe you can only be conscious in one universe at a time. Odds are that when you went into me dad's bathroom you lost consciousness in 1981. You would 'ave been lying in the road in 2008 and awake in 1983. Now one's gone and…"

Alex looked at her when she didn't continue, "And?"

"I dunno."

"You think I'm dying one universe at a time?" Her voice was quiet, frightened, the image of one door after another slamming shut in her face hovering at the tip of her subconscious.

"I dunno."

"You don't know much, do you?"

"Sorry." Meg waited. "'ow much does Gene actually know?"

"About what?"

"About the future. 2008. Where you come from."

"I don't know."

"Now who doesn't know much?"

"I suppose he always thought of me the same way he thought about Sam," she said. "That I was just someone who transferred from another division. I mean, I've said some random things which must have confused him…"

"Or comforted 'im, if you reminded 'im of Sam."

"…I'm sure the weirdness of the whole situation only hit him once he saw…well…you." Alex looked at Meg. "I'm not sure what he thinks now."

"Out of curiosity, where does 'e think Molly is?"

"Back in my old division with my family." She smiled sadly. "I gave him such a hard time about not having Danny down here with him that I never stopped to think what he might think about me leaving Molly behind." She paused, thinking suddenly about her daughter. "How was she when you saw her?"

"Fine."

"Just…just fine?"

"No, she was doing the bloody Fandango." Alex rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to deliver a cutting retort. "It wasn't really 'er, Alex."

"I don't understand."

"Molly can't jump worlds. It was an image of 'er. A projection. It was 'er own subconscious. I could 'ave told you she had green scales and it wouldn't make any difference to the real Molly alive in 2008."

Alex licked her lips. "How do I fix this?"

"Fix what?" Meg asked.

Alex stared at her, "What do you mean, fix what? Fix _this!_ How do I sort this mess out and get home to my daughter?"

"Are you sure you want to?"

"Of course I do!"

"It's just that…you 'aven't always given the impression that…"

"What are you trying to say?" Alex demanded.

Meg met her gaze, "I'm saying that, at times, you seem much more concerned with staying 'ere and 'aving a relationship with Gene than you do about getting 'ome to Molly."

"How dare you!" Alex said, and then paused, remembering the moment in the spare bedroom at Ted's house when Meg had interrupted her kiss with Gene to remind her about Molly. At the time, she had put it down to jealousy on the other woman's part but, thinking back now… "I want…I want both," she admitted.

"Hmm…" Meg closed the newspaper and tossed it to one side of the desk. "Can't always get what we want, can we? Look at me. Dead as a fucking doornail."

"I _have _said I'm sorry about that."

"I don't want your sympathy, Alex."

There was a long moment of strained silence, each woman contemplating their own situation.

"What do I do now?" Alex asked quietly.

"For a start, you need to speak to Richards."

"So you agree with me?" Alex seized on this nugget of solidarity. "You think he's involved."

"I think if 'e's around now and 'e's around in your version of 1983, you should at least 'ave a word."

"Gene's not exactly champing at the bit to let me have a go at Richards. Mind you when I mentioned about being schizophrenic…"

"Schizo-what?" Meg said, with a snort of laughter.

"Funny," Alex said, regarding her warily, "that's exactly what he said."

"So…in 1983 you're schizophrenic?"

"Apparently so," Alex said tightly.

"Blimey."

"You didn't know?"

"Nope," Meg shook her head, "This is all an exciting, if at times baffling, adventure for me too. I'm sure you can find a way to persuade Gene to let you talk to Richards." Alex looked at her and saw the veiled insinuation in her eyes. Getting to her feet, she made to open the door of the office. "Does it 'ave an 'appy ending?"

Alex turned, "Does what have a happy ending?"

"The film," Meg said. "_Ghost._"

Alex paused. _Does it have a happy ending? I suppose it depends on what you define as happy when it comes to death. _"It…umm…yes. Yes it does." She saw Meg's lips twitch and knew she understood what she meant. Flashing a brief smile, she opened the office door and stepped out, closing it behind her.

Meg watched as she crossed CID and exited through the opposite door. Letting out a long sigh, she lifted a stack of papers on the desk and was starting to leaf through them when she suddenly felt her windpipe severely restricted. Pain shot through her body and she scrabbled at her throat, trying to free herself from crushing hands that weren't there. The chair she was sitting on tipped and she fell to the floor, feeling every ghostly breath in her body being squeezed out of her, just like she had experienced in the hospital. She tried to get to her feet but couldn't, so instead began pulling herself across the floor, desperate to get to the door. It didn't cross her mind that, if she reached it, no-one, other than Gene and Alex, would be able to see her distress.

"It's coming closer, Meg."

She looked up to see Molly standing a few feet away. "Molly…" she gasped, "'elp…me…"

"Time's running out. Death's coming for you both. You have to help her solve the puzzle." Molly's expression was earnest. "Please Meg, you have to. Before it's too late for everyone."

Suddenly, as quickly as it had started, the pressure on her throat lessened and Meg dissolved into a violent fit of coughing and spluttering, taking in huge lungfuls of air as she fought to bring her breathing back under control. Face down on the floor, she squeezed her eyes closed, finding the darkness somewhat comforting as her heartbeat started to slow again. She heard the door of the office opening and looked up.

"Bloody 'ell," Gene said, looking down at her, "Roll over onto your back, love, and it's like old times in 'ere."


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry this chapter is a bit late again. Hoping to get back on my weekly updates now that my hand is better. So...they're back in London and Alex is finally getting her hands on Richards. Can he give her the answers she needs? And what about Gene and Meg...?**

Alex opened the door of the interview room and stepped inside, closing it behind her. Richards was in the process of lighting a cigarette and paused mid-puff when he saw her. She watched as his eyes slowly trailed up and down her body before he took the cigarette from his lips and blew out a plume of smoke towards her. His face creased into a knowing smile but he didn't speak.

Alex leant her back against the door and regarded him curiously. He wasn't quite what she had imagined. But then, she wasn't sure what it was she had imagined in the first place. "Do you know who I am?"

"A female copper," he replied, "more's the pity. I don't fuck filth."

"I mean, do you know _who _I am."

He shook his head, "You'll have to forgive me. I'm not usually one to forget the names of pretty women."

Alex ignored the innuendo and pulled the opposite chair out from the table. Sitting down, her eyes fell on the streak of red through his hair and she raised her eyebrows.

"Like it?" he questioned, running his hands over it.

"You know, in a few years time, people will laugh at that kind of thing. But it will eventually become somewhat trendy again in some circles."

"If you say so," he replied, holding her gaze. "You know, your boss couldn't get me to talk, so what makes you think you will?"

"I'm not here to talk about drugs," Alex replied, "although I _did_ meet your partner a few days ago."

A flicker crossed Richards' face, "Tanya?" Alex nodded. "Stunning bird isn't she? Especially after having a baby an' all. What did she say?"

"Nothing incriminating." She left out the small fact that Tanya had told them where they could find him. "But she _is _concerned about you and what's going to happen to her and Jenny when you go down for this."

He took another long drag on his cigarette. "I'm not going down for anything," he said, but now refusing to meet her gaze. "When did you speak to her?"

"A few days ago. She was sat where you're sitting now. Although she was wearing a lot less clothes at the time."

The corner of his mouth turned up, "That's my Tan. Number one trick whenever she gets questioned by coppers is to take her kit off. Makes them nervous."

"And that doesn't bother you?"

"Tan can take care of herself."

"And your daughter? Is Tanya solely responsible for looking after her too? She'll have to, I suppose, when you end up in prison."

"Thought you weren't here to talk about my alleged crimes."

"Like I said, I'm not." Alex said, keen to bring the conversation back around to what she wanted, "I'm _not _here to talk about drugs. Unlike DCI Hunt, I'm not concerned with nailing you for that. I'm more concerned about what you know about me."

He met her gaze again, "I don't know what you mean, DI Drake."

She paused. "So you _do_ know my name."

"Not difficult to find these things out."

"But earlier you said…"

Richards leant forward across the table which caused Alex to instinctively slide back. He smiled at her actions. "Never believe what men say, Alex. Didn't your mother ever tell you that?"

XXXX

"I've never been 'ere," Meg said, her voice raspy.

"What?" Gene asked from his position standing above her.

"I said, I've never been 'ere," she repeated, her fingers straying nervously to her throat, relieved at the sensation that her neck felt normal to the touch and not caved in. The painful pressure had gone, and yet she could still feel the imprint of what had felt like hands on her neck. Although she couldn't see what, or who, was insistent on causing her this discomfort, she was afraid of it and couldn't help wondering if it was the handsome figure of Death that she had met earlier.

"So?" Gene's voice brought her back to the issue in hand.

"So it's 'ardly old times, is it?"

"Oh…" he said, catching her meaning, "yeah, well…I meant me old office back in Manchester. Nice an' 'idden. None of this sodding see through glass." He stared distastefully at the surroundings of his office.

"I don't remember ever doing it on the floor," she pushed herself up and, grabbing onto the wall for support, got herself to her feet. Gene stayed where he was. "Don't bother offering to 'elp me up."

"Might look a bit odd me giving assistance to the invisible woman," he flashed her a tight smile which she didn't return. "Anyway, floor, desk, same difference."

"Nice to know you 'ave such 'appy memories." She rubbed her neck and made a face.

"You all right?"

"Yeah," she said, "bloody marvellous." He didn't reply and she looked up to see him watching her. "What?"

"I know you too well," he said, perching on the edge of his desk. "What's up?"

"Nothing."

"Megan…"

"I said, it's nothing," she snapped, sharper than she intended. She saw a flicker cross his face and felt momentarily guilty. But then she remembered how easily he had professed that he was no longer in love with her and she pushed those feelings down. Why should she care anymore about how he felt? Why should she bother trying to curry his favour?

"What were you doing on the floor anyway?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter."

"Suit yourself."

Diverting the conversation suddenly seemed like a good idea. "Where's Alex?"

"Interviewing Richards."

"You decided to let 'er in then."

"Couldn't really stop 'er," he said, "anyway, might as well let 'er 'ave 'er bit of fun. Won't lead to anything but…"

"Then you don't believe Richards 'as something to do with what's 'appening to 'er in 1983?"

"If anything _is_ 'appening to 'er in 1983. If 1983 even exists."

Meg cocked her head on one side, "You don't think there is?"

Gene shrugged, "I don't know what to think anymore. Maybe she really _is _losing 'er mind. Maybe she really _does _'ave that schizo-thing she was talking about earlier."

"Schizophrenia? She told you about that?"

Gene looked at her, "She told _you_?" Meg nodded. "Hmm. Why would she tell you?"

"Why would she tell _you_?" Meg hit back. Gene didn't reply. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"What do you make of it?"

He sighed heavily and looked at the floor. "It worries me." She waited for him to continue. "Maybe she _is_ mentally ill and maybe this is 'ow it starts. Maybe all these blackouts and…talking about other worlds and shit is the beginning. Don't know much bout these things but…"

"Well, neither do I," Meg said, "but given that you're seeing me too, it stands to reason that if Alex is mentally ill, then so are you."

"I'm not the one rolling around on the bloody floor!"

She felt a sudden rush to tell him. A need to share her fears about what was happening to her. He was the one person she knew would listen to her. Even if he was no longer in love with her, he still cared about her. "Gene…"

"What?"

"The reason I was on the floor…"

"Guv!" She was interrupted by Ray coming hurtling through the doors of CID and barrelling his way up to Gene's office. "Guv!"

"Calm down Raymondo. You'll give yourself an 'eart attack!"

"You 'ave to come," Ray said, breathlessly, "It's Richards."

"Oh goody, 'as 'e decided to cough 'is guts?" Gene rubbed his hands together.

"No," Ray replied, his face pale. "He's dead."

XXXX

Alex was sitting on the floor with her back against the wall when Gene found her. On the far side of the room, Vinny Richards lay slumped over the desk. Chris was bent over him checking his pulse.

"Dead as a doornail, Guv," he reported when he caught sight of his boss.

Gene turned to Alex and crouched down beside her, "You all right?" She didn't reply. Instead, she continued to stare straight in front of her and, when he reached out to touch her, found that she was shaking slightly. "Alex?" When he got no response, he straightened up and turned to where Ray and Chris were standing. "What the bloody 'ell 'appened?"

"Don't know, Guv," Chris replied.

"What do you mean _you don't know?_" Gene snarled in response.

"Everything was quiet and then…then there was this scream…"

"Scream?"

"Sounded like something from another world," Chris shuddered. Gene glanced quickly at Meg who was standing just inside the door. "Came in and…"

"And?"

"Richards was just lying like that and…and DI Drake was standing over 'im."

"Doing what?" he demanded.

"Doing? Eh…nothing Guv. Just…just standing…"

"Right, get the pathologist in 'ere," Gene directed. Neither of them moved. "Go on, now!" Both of them scurried out. "And take the mob with you!" He glared at a gaggle of officers who had gathered to view the grisly scene. Ray closed the door behind him leaving Gene, Alex and Meg alone with Richards' body.

"Is she ok?" Meg asked.

"Does she look ok?" he snapped back. He crouched in front of Alex again and took his hands in hers. There were stone cold to the touch and he instinctively started to rub them between his own. "Alex. Alex, talk to me. Look at me, Alex!" Eventually, she met his gaze. "What 'appened?" he asked gently.

"I…I don't know," she replied, "I don't…"

"He's dead," Gene said slowly, "did 'e collapse? Did 'e go for you or summat?" He shook his head, "What the 'ell 'appened?"

"Maybe you should stand 'er up," Meg offered.

"Maybe you should piss off!" he retorted, without turning to look at her. "No doubt this is all somehow your fault!" He took Alex's face in his hands, "Can you stand up?"

"I…"

"Come on and try," he got to his feet and reached out to try and pull her to her feet. She didn't assist him in any way and her body felt so very heavy. "Meg, give us an 'and." There was no reply. "Meg?" he glanced over his shoulder and saw that she was gone.

XXXX

Meg stepped outside in the cool air and took the packet of cigarettes she had stolen earlier from Ray's desk out of her pocket. Tapping one out, she lit it and took a long drag, enjoying the long forgotten feeling of the nicotine spilling into her bloodstream. Blowing out a plume of smoke she sighed and looked across the road to where music and laughter was spilling out of Luigi's and wished, not for the first time, that she was more a part of this world. As she watched, a couple came stumbling up the steps, arms around each other, laughing uproariously. Jealously, she watched as they hurried down the street together, not a care in the world besides each other.

Gene's comment had hurt. It wasn't all her fault, it just couldn't be, and yet he seemed so quick to blame her when things started to go wrong or got complicated. She was tired of being the fall guy. Tired of trying to help people that ultimately didn't give a shit about her.

"Sweet isn't it? Young love."

"If you say so," she mumbled, not bothering to look in the direction of the owner of the voice.

"Must be hard for you, seeing the man you love with someone else." Meg turned and, to her shock, came face to face with Death. "You thought you'd left me in the car park, didn't you?" He held out his hand, "Mind if I nick one?"

At first, she was so stunned that she didn't know what he was talking about. Then he clicked his fingers and pointed to the packet of cigarettes she was still holding in her hand. Wordlessly, she held it out to him and he took them from her, sliding one cigarette out of the packet and putting it to his lips. Producing a lighter from his pocket, he lit it effortlessly and blew smoke out into the air.

"Don't look so worried, Meg," he said, smiling to reveal perfect white teeth, "Like you said before, I'm not here for you."

"It's not time yet," she said, amazed at how steady her voice was, "I 'aven't 'elped Alex find the path yet. I 'aven't completed what I was sent 'ere to do. You can't take 'er now…" she could hear a note of panic creeping in. "I mean, you can't just turn up 'ere like this and…I know I was thinking that I was tired with it all but…"

He smiled at her, and she couldn't help thinking that he was rather good looking for the Grim Reaper. "Meg, you really are a terrible one for jumping to the wrong conclusions," he wagged a finger in her face. "That, my dear, will be your ultimate downfall."

"I'm already dead."

"Yes you are. So is that poor bastard in there. The one with the terrible hair. That goodness he wasn't one of mine," he seemed to shudder slightly. "But _he_ isn't dead. Not yet anyway."

Meg stared at him, uncomprehendingly. "He? He who? I thought we were talking about Alex? I thought she was the one that you were coming for?"

"No, you just _assumed_ that," he corrected, "I never named the person I was really here for." She waited, feeling her heart pounding in her chest. He sighed indulgently, "Now who could I possibly mean? Who is the one man around here, that I could be here for, whose passing might give you food for thought, eh?"

The realisation hit her, along with all of its potential repercussions. "No…" she whispered.

"Think about it, Meg," Death leaned in closer to her, "Gene Hunt dies…and he's yours again…forever."


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry for the delay everyone. Been a bit of a mad week! Anyway, please enjoy and leave me a little review :)**

As offers went, it was tempting. She didn't know where she was going to end up after this was all over but the prospect of going there alone was terrifying enough, particularly in light of the way she was constantly reminded she would get there. Painful hands around her neck, crushing what life there was left out of her. Every time it happened she expected to look up into the crazed eyes of Derek Wallace.

To be there with Gene, to have him with her forever…it was a comforting feeling. And if they were both dead, there would be no question of Alex getting in the way, no question that she wouldn't have him all to herself again.

But then there was Danny. A little boy who had lost his mother before he had ever even known her and here was she, contemplating taking his father away from him too. She wasn't sure she could bear being happy and having an eternal life with Gene while all the time knowing that her son would be so unhappy. What mother could?

And what about Alex? Like it or not, she had been brought here to help the other woman find the right path, make the right choice. She couldn't abandon that duty now, no matter how much she might want to thump her.

"You look pensive," Death commented, bringing her out of her reverie. "It's a tempting offer, isn't it?"

"No," she said forcefully, "it's not! 'ow can you offer me that? 'ow can you think I would want Gene to die?"

"So he can be with you," Death said, a slight frown marring his features, "Isn't that what you want?"

"No! Not like that!"

"Well you're dead. It's the only way you're ever going to be with him."

"I know that!"

"Meg…you were murdered."

"Thanks for reminding me," she muttered.

"Don't write off perhaps the only chance you have of ever being happy again."

"By making other people _un_happy?" She looked at him, anguish marring her features, "Alex, Danny…"

"They'd get over it."

"You don't understand…" she fumbled with the packet of cigarettes and pulled another one out. With trembling fingers, she lit it and blew smoke out into the air. "You don't understand what it's like to love someone. This is not a choice you can ask me to make."

"I never said I was asking you," Death said, "merely giving you a heads up."

She turned to look at him, "A heads up?"

"You don't think I hang around here just to chat to good looking ghosts like you, do you? I've got a job to do, Meg. I was only trying to show you what you could have, not giving you the choice to stop it."

"But…"

"I'm here for Gene Hunt," he said, bluntly, "whether you accept it or not."

XXXX

"Alex, if you don't talk to me I'm going to slap you!" Gene snarled. She was sitting at his desk in his office, her hands clasped around a cup of coffee that Shaz had helpfully provided, still shaking slightly.

"I don't know what to say," she replied slowly.

"'ow about starting with what the 'ell 'appened in there?!" he demanded.

"I don't know," she said, her voice barely a whisper, "I really…don't know."

"Well, one minute Richards is alive and well and the next 'e's dead! So, what the 'ell 'appened?"

"I don't expect you to understand," she said.

Gene bit his tongue, fighting down the instinct to grab her and shake her and scream at her like she was a reluctant suspect. But she wasn't. She was the woman he was in love with and he couldn't bear the thought of hurting her.

"I am _trying_ to understand but…"

"He just…just…"

"Just _what?_"

The door to the office suddenly flew open and Meg came barrelling in. "Gene…" she said breathlessly.

"Not now," he said, without turning to look at her.

"But it's important!"

"I said, not now!" he shouted over his shoulder.

"Guv?"

Gene turned and saw Chris hovering in the doorway. "What is it?" he asked, his voice steadier.

"Super wants to talk to you."

"Not right now, Chris," Gene sighed, "Tell 'im I'm busy."

"I said you were with DI Drake but 'e told me to tell you to leave 'er 'ere and go to 'is office right now."

"Gene, _I _need to talk to you," Meg butted in again.

"Tell the Super I'll be there in five minutes."

"But…"

"Five minutes!"

"Yes Guv," Chris closed the door quietly behind him.

"What about me?" Meg asked, "Do I get five minutes?"

"He just…keeled over," Alex said, as though she had never been interrupted. "One minute he was fine and then the next…"

"Did you touch 'im?" Gene asked.

Alex looked up at him, confusion on her face, "No. No, I didn't. You don't think that I…?"

"It's the first question you'll be asked," he said. "You didn't touch 'im?"

"I've already said I didn't!" she retorted. "He must have had a…a heart attack or something like that…I don't know!" She put her head in her hands and Gene instinctively put his arms around her.

"Is anyone listening to me?" Meg demanded.

"Meg, go and make yourself useful," Gene said.

"Doing what?"

"I don't know, whatever ghosts do to be useful!"

She paused. "Fine. Well, don't come crying to me when Death comes for you, Gene." She turned and threw the door open.

"What?" His voice made her stop and she turned back around to see him now looking at her. "What did you say?"

Meg closed the door again. "Death," she said, "I spoke to 'im outside and 'e told me that it's not Alex 'e's 'ere for after all. It's you."

Alex looked between them. "Death?"

"What did 'e say?" Gene asked.

"All 'e said was that 'e was 'ere for you," Meg explained, her expression pained. "'e was trying to make out that it would be good for me, because then I could 'ave you all to myself again. I told 'im no, but then 'e told me that I didn't 'ave any choice and that 'e was going to take you anyway." She swallowed hard. "Despite everything…I don't want that."

"Hang on a minute," Alex said, "You're telling me that Death has _appeared_ to you and told you all this?" Meg nodded. "Death as in…Death? As in hooded cloak, and all that?"

"No, as in long leather coat and quite nice eyes," Meg replied.

"This is insane," Alex said. Then, as if it had suddenly dawned on her, she looked up again, "Was he here for Richards?"

"No," Meg replied, "'e said that was someone else's job."

"So, there's more than one Death?"

"I don't know," she snapped, "I didn't ask 'im for a breakdown of 'ow it all works!"

Alex looked at Gene, "What do we do now?"

"I don't know," he replied, looking at his watch, "but my five minutes are up. The two of you stay 'ere til I get back." He dropped a swift kiss on Alex's forehead, paused briefly to lock gazes with Meg and then left the office.

"Tell me the truth then," Meg said, the moment he was gone. "What did you do to Richards?"

"Nothing," Alex replied. "It's like I said. He just keeled over."

"Coincidence."

Alex glared at her, "Unless you have anything _useful_ to add…" Her expression grew fearful. "You really think Death is here for Gene?"

Meg nodded, "And I very much doubt there's anything any of us can do about it."

XXXX

"What in God's name happened?" Superintendent Gerald Hogan asked, peering at Gene from behind his round glasses which were far too small for his bulbous face.

"I was trying to ascertain that from DI Drake," Gene replied, "She said that Mr Richards simply died."

"Right in front of her?"

"So it would appear."

Hogan shook his head, "Did she do anything to him?"

"She says not."

"And you believe her?"

"Yes sir," Gene nodded, "DI Drake is very hot on…doing things the right way."

"Yes well…" Hogan wiped a handkerchief over his face, "the casualty surgeon is in there now, so hopefully we will know one way or the other very soon. Did Richards give you anything?"

"No sir," Gene replied, "not about the drugs."

"So why was DI Drake even in the room?"

"She wanted to…try a different angle."

Hogan let out a long sigh, "Well, she's clearly in no state to be here. Take her home and keep her there until you hear further."

"Yes sir." Gene left his boss's office and made his way back to his own where he found Alex on her own, finishing the last of her tea. "Where's Meg?" he asked.

"She went to the toilet."

"The toilet?"

"Yes, the toilet. I'm sure even ghosts need to take a piss."

He ignored her, "Right, Super says I've to take you 'ome and keep you there."

"For how long?"

"He shrugged, "Until we know what's going to 'appen next. Once we know cause of death presumably."

"Gene…you have to know that I didn't do anything to him. Why would I? I wanted answers from him."

"I know that," he smiled tightly at her, "Come on, let's get you out of 'ere before news reaches the ears of Her Majesty's gutter press."

XXXX

"It still looks the same," Alex commented when they were back in the flat.

"What does?" Gene asked.

"Here. The flat. For some reason, I thought it might have changed somehow."

"Only been away for a few days."

"I know, but so much has happened that…" she smiled wryly, "I know I must sound completely crazy…"

"I know what you mean," he reassured her, "Felt a bit like that about the station when we got back." He glanced around, "Do you want something to eat or…?"

"No," she replied, sitting down on the couch, "No, I'm not hungry."

"You 'aven't 'ad anything since breakfast," he reminded her.

"I couldn't face it," she insisted, "Coffee would be good though."

"Ok," he said decisively, "coming up." Stepping into the kitchen, he boiled the kettle and prepared the coffee, all the while expecting Meg to suddenly pop up. But she didn't. Making his way back into the living room, he handed Alex a cup and then sat himself down in the chair opposite her. "Colour's coming back," he observed.

"It was a shock," she admitted, "seeing him just…" she trailed off again. "It _had _to be natural causes."

He nodded, "Probably was."

"Or maybe, he had taken something himself before you brought him in."

"Maybe."

Alex paused, "You don't think Ray tried out his theory again, do you?"

"What theory?"

"About cocaine making people talk."

Gene paused, "'ow do you…?"

"It doesn't matter," she waved her hand, "but there are things we need to talk about, Gene."

"'ere we go. Used to 'ate it when Meg started a sentence like that."

"There are things we need to talk about out with Meg's presence."

"Where is Meg anyway?" he asked. "'ow long does it take a ghost to go to the toilet?"

"I don't know," Alex replied, "but perhaps we could use this time when she's not here…"

"She'll be back," he said confidently, "like a bloody bad penny ready to nip me ear. Go on then," he nodded to her, "Seeing as I've got to keep an eye on you, what do you want to talk about?"


	16. Chapter 16

**Thanks for the reviews. I hope things are maybe starting to fall into place....**

The bruises were there. Clear as day. Standing out against her neck, finger marks. Proof that she had once been strangled to death. Meg stared at herself in the mirror, running her fingers gently over them. They didn't hurt, not right at that moment, but she knew they were significant. Isn't that what Alex always said? _Everything is significant._

She felt a chill course through her and wished she was wearing something more than the light cotton top she had on. It wasn't even what she had been wearing when she died so why was she wearing it now? Twisting to look at herself, she suddenly thought how ridiculous it was that at a time like this she was criticising her own dress sense. Running the water in the sink, she bent and splashed her face and when she straightened back up, Death's reflection showed in the mirror. Jumping, she whirled around, but the bathroom was empty behind her. Shivering again, she moved and pressed herself up against the wall so that she had a complete view of the room. She wished she could understand all of this. Death was meant to be here for Gene, so why did it feel as though with every passing moment she was being pulled closer and closer to her own eternity?

Opening the door of the bathroom she stepped back out into the corridor. There was a distinct hush in the air, no doubt the result of the dead body in the interview room. As she walked past, she saw Richards being lifted onto a trolley and placed into a black body bag. She watched as he was silently wheeled out towards the main entrance of the station. Turning, she made her way back into CID and towards Gene's office. Upon reaching the door, she saw that it was empty. She turned towards Chris who was sitting nearby and opened her mouth to ask him where Gene and Alex had gone before remembering that he wouldn't be able to hear her. She opened the office door and walked inside, closing it behind her and breathing in the scent of smoke and aftershave that was so inexplicably Gene. But there was also a terrible emptiness in the room, or was it in her heart? The feeling that she wasn't wanted and hadn't been wanted for some time was almost overwhelming, particularly in the silence.

Sitting in his chair should have made her feel close to him, but it didn't. It only served to remind her of what she had lost or rather, what had been taken from her by somebody else. Even as she thought about Wallace, she could see his face in front of her. Those eyes so close to her own, his face contorted with rage at her refusal to love him and regret at what he had to do about it. She suddenly wondered if it would make things easier for her to see him. Even if he couldn't see her, or speak to her, or explain why he had done it, perhaps she would gain some form of closure just by knowing he was now somewhere where he couldn't hurt anyone anymore.

_But what about Alex? That's who you're here for. Not for yourself. Shouldn't you go and find her and find out what's happening next?_

"Bugger Alex," Meg said to no-one in particular. Standing up, she opened the office door and stepped back out into CID. Officers moved past her, no-one looked at her. She might as well have been…well…dead. "Bugger to the lot of you!" she shouted before hurrying through the doors and heading for the way out.

XXXX

Alex told Gene everything from start to finish. From the moment she was shot by Layton to the present day. She told him that the Prices' were her parents, about Evan being her godfather and about Molly being just out of her reach so many years in the future. She also told him what Meg had said about her being dead in 2008. Through all of this, he sat and watched her, his expression impassive, not saying one word until she was finished.

"So," she said finally, feeling exhausted by the effort, "that's it. All of it."

"You're from the future," he stated.

"Yes."

"And, so was Sam."

"Yes."

"And all this time, you've been trying to find a way back to Molly."

"Yes."

"And Meg turning up 'as been so she can 'elp you do that."

"Yes."

"Right," he said.

"Is that all you can say? _Right?_ I've just told you the secret I've been carrying around with me all these months and that's all you've got to say in response?"

"Well excuse me sulky drawers but all of this is a little 'ard to take in!" he shot back in return. "'ow exactly would you expect me to react?"

Alex opened her mouth to reply and then realised that, if the truth be told, she wasn't really sure. What _did _she expect him to say? Up until a few months ago he had been an ordinary copper in 1981, troubled by the memories of a dead girlfriend and an old colleague. Now she was expecting him to believe that she was a time traveller. A smile formed at the corner of her mouth.

"Well I'm glad you find it amusing," he said.

"I'm sorry," she ran a hand through her hair, "I suppose, when you think about it, it does all sound rather far-fetched."

"Too right."

"But, after all, your dead girlfriend is hanging around us as a ghost," she pointed out, "shouldn't you be a little more open-minded about what I'm telling you?"

He looked at her, but didn't say anything for a long moment, his mind thinking back over other things she had told him. Things about mental illness that he was now seriously beginning to think might be true. "Speaking of Meg," he changed the subject slightly, "where is she?"

XXXX

If her reason for being there wasn't so horrid, it would have seemed funny to Meg how easily she managed to get into Wormwood Scrubs. All she had to do was walk through the door. Nobody challenged her. She climbed over the turnstile gate at reception and wandered around to where a rather bored looking guard was flicking through the Daily Mail. Glancing around, she realised that she needed to find some sort of information that would tell her where Wallace was located and how to get there. She began moving folders and files until she came across a thick binder which, upon opening, revealed an alphabetical list of what she assumed were all the prisoners. Flipping to the end, she found the following entry:

Wallace, Derek – Segregation

All she had to do was find the Segregation unit. How hard could that be? Leaving the reception area, she made her way through towards what she assumed led to the cells. Fortunately, there was a guard unlocking the gate and she sneaked in before it could be locked again.

"All right Jack?" She jumped at a voice in her ear and then realised that the guard was talking to another guard coming down the corridor. "Where you off to then?"

"Got some more fan mail for Wallace." Meg's ears pricked up.

"What, more?"

"Yep. Don't know what it is about these blokes, but there's a hell of a lot of women who like writing to them."

"Yeah well, have fun."

Meg started to follow the guard called Jack, figuring that he was going to lead her straight to Wallace. They traversed the hallways of the prison and went up and down so many flights of stairs that she had no clue where she even was anymore. Eventually, they reached a doorway marked "Segregation." She waited as he unlocked it and slipped in after him. There were only three or four cells in the row and she watched as he stopped at the first one.

"Derek. Derek!" the guard shouted, "Wakey wakey. Postman's been." He opened the hatch on the door and slid the letters in. "Enjoy." He slammed the hatch shut again and walked to another cell.

Meg waited and then slowly walked forward to the door. The hatch was clear and, as she brought her face up to it, she saw him for the first time. He hadn't changed. At least, not physically, apart from the prison uniform. He was sitting on the small bunk looking at the letters in his hands. As she watched, he tore them up without even opening them and dropped them in a pile in the corner. Then he looked up towards the wall. Meg followed his gaze and felt her stomach drop as she saw that he had a collection of newspaper clippings pinned up. Each one was about her. She blanched at her own picture smiling out of the grainy print.

"Jesus," she breathed.

As she spoke, Wallace turned his head towards the hatch. She met his gaze and felt him hold it. For a moment, she wondered if he could see her. He stared impassively at her and she stared back, wondering if she should say anything. Wondering what she would say. As they continued to stare at each other, she realised that she wasn't afraid. Even though he was mere feet away from her, she didn't feel fear at seeing him. She remembered how she had felt as he loomed over her, crushing the life out of her. She had been afraid then, terrified even. But now, now she felt nothing, and that alone felt comforting.

The door to the unit opened again and she realised that she had to go, lest she be kept down here forever. Slipping out, she followed the guard back up to the reception area and only realised once she got outside that she had been holding her breath.

Meg left the prison feeling somewhat comforted. It was strange, given what she had just witnessed but, in a way, it made her feel calmer, feel more in control. Wasn't that something else that Alex was always saying? _I have to keep in control._

"Feel better?"

She recognised his voice and found it didn't frighten her anymore. "Piss off."

"Is that any way to talk to a friend?"

She kept walking, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of her attention, "You're not my friend."

"I'm your only friend," Death said, falling into step with her, "no-one else seems to be yearning for your company." Meg pursed her lips, biting back the words she wanted to say. "You didn't answer my question. Do you feel better?"

"I suppose."

"Coming face to face with your own murderer takes some guts."

"Thanks."

"You're certainly ticking all the right boxes."

At this, she paused and turned to look at him, "Boxes?" Death nodded. "What boxes?"

He looked pensive. "When we die, we can't help but think about all the things we didn't do that we should have done. We wish there was a way to come back and do them all before we leave forever. I must say, you're doing very well."

"I don't understand."

"You've made your peace with Gene Hunt," he checked that off on his fingers, "Box one. You've satisfied yourself regarding Derek Wallace, that's box two…" he looked at her, "what other boxes are there? What else would you like to do?"

Meg looked at him defiantly, "The one thing I was sent 'ere to do, I suppose. Help Alex."

He nodded, seemingly impressed, "Very noble. Very…what's the turn of phrase…self sacrificing?"

Meg shook her head and started walking away from him again. Again, he followed her. "It's a bit of an impossible task though, don't you think?"

"No," she replied.

"We all have free will at the end of the day."

"So?"

"So, you can only guide a person so far. If they don't want to go in the direction you're leading them, you can't very well force them, can you?"

"I'm not forcing 'er," Meg said, "I'm…I'm 'elping 'er."

"Is that what you really think, Meg? The truth is, you want her to pick a path that's going to take her as far away from Gene Hunt as possible."

"That's not true."

"It _is _true," he persisted, "all very understandable if a little juvenile. If I can't have him no-one can…"

"Look," she stopped and turned to face him, "your little insights are starting to get really _fucking _boring, so why don't you just piss off back to Hell, or wherever it is you came from, and leave me alone!"

"Because this is so much fun!" he laughed. "Watching you go from one thing to the other…it's the best entertainment I've had in a long time."

"Go away," she said angrily, "before I make you."

Death's smile dropped and for the first time, she saw a look of pure evil replace it, "You'll try. Trust me, you'll try. Not now, but soon. But believe me, you won't manage it."

XXXX

"Where the bloody 'ell is she?" Gene demanded, checking his watch.

Alex looked at him over her coffee cup, "Meg?" He nodded. "I'm sure she'll be along any minute."

He stood up and walked over to the window, looking down at the entrance to the station. He couldn't win. Her being around unnerved him and her not being around unnerved him. He was keen to have her around, especially in light of Alex's recent revelations. "Not like 'er to stay away," he muttered.

"You like having her around, don't you?" Alex asked. "Even if you're not in love with her any more, you still like having her around. It's comforting. I understand that." He turned to face her, "but like I said before, she won't be here forever."

"I know that," he replied, "I'm not daft, Bolly."

"I never said you were," she tried to reassure him. Suddenly she shivered, "Ooh, all this talk of Death hanging around is making me…" she trailed off suddenly as something hit her.

"What?" Gene asked when she didn't finish. "What is it?"

Alex looked up at him, "Meg said that Death was here for you. Now, in 1981."

"So?"

"So, when I went back to 2008 and met Danny…he told me that you had died two years earlier." She ran her mind over this problem. "How can both scenarios be correct?"

Gene shrugged, not really wanting to discuss his manner, or time, of death. "Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters," she said, "it matters because it might be the key to finding out what I'm supposed to do or where I'm supposed to go."

"Thought Meg was 'ere for that purpose," he said, turning back to look out of the window again.

Alex paused, her mind whirring. "Meg…" she whispered under her breath, "that's it. That's it!" She jumped to her feet.

"What is?" he asked.

"Meg's the key to all of this. She must be! That's why she's here. To save you!"

"What the bloody 'ell are you…?"

"Gene, that's it!" she moved over to stand in front of him, "Meg saves you from dying in 1981 so that you can live until 2006! So that you can have a relationship with Danny and…and a life with me and…and Molly…" she trailed off at that last, slight snag. "Molly…" He was looking at her uncomprehendingly. "We have to find her."

"Molly?"

"Meg!"

"'ang on a bleeding minute!" Gene declared as she reached for her jacket, "'ave you forgotten the little matter of a dead suspect over the road and the fact that you were in the room when 'e pegged it?"

"Don't you see?" Alex shook her head, "Richards, all of this…it's been a distraction. A distraction from the real quest all along. This has nothing to do with me, or Richards or whatever happened in 1983. This is all about _you_."

"Alex…"

"Please," she said, opening the door, "please, we have to find Meg now. I'm going back over to the station." Before he could reply, she had darted out of the door and he could hear her heels on the stairs.

Gene lifted the phone and dialled CID.

"DC Skelton."

"Chris, it's me," he said, "listen, remember that doctor? The one that sectioned that nutter bloke we 'ad 'ere last year?"

"The guy with the funny eyes?"

"Yes, can you…"

"Those eyes gave me nightmares for weeks, Guv. All bloodshot and red."

"Yes, I remember. Can you…?"

"I didn't like those eyes."

"Chris!"

"Yes Guv?"

"Can you find 'is number and call 'im please?"

"What for?"

Gene glanced out of the window as Alex hurried across the street. "We just might need 'im 'ere."

"Who for?" Chris asked.

Gene sighed, "Dunno yet."


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry for the delay again everyone. I rewrote this chapter about 5 times and then my computer got a virus and I lost it and I had to write it again - argh!! Anyway, we're nearing the end now and that can only mean one thing....**

The first thing Alex saw when she raced into the station was Tanya Richards sitting at the front desk, a little girl sat beside her. They both looked up when she came in, causing Alex to stop dead in her tracks. Tanya's face was pale and stoic, but tears ran down the child's face.

"Hi," Alex said quietly.

"Hello again," Tanya replied, her voice remarkably steady.

"I'm…I'm so very sorry," Alex stepped over towards them. "It must have been a terrible shock for you."

"Not really," Tanya replied, "I expected it one day." She looked down at the little girl, "It's not fair on Jenny though."

Alex sat in the vacant seat beside her, "Your daughter?" Tanya nodded. "She's beautiful."

"Thanks. Most folks say she looks like me, but there's a lot of her dad in her too," Tanya said proudly, "good stuff, that is, not anything to do with…" she trailed off.

"What have they told you?"

"Just that he collapsed. Probably took a hit of something before you brought him in. Wouldn't be the first time." She shivered slightly, "It'll certainly be the last, won't it?" Alex paused, unsure what to say. "Were you there?"

The question brought her up short, "Sorry?"

"Were you there?" Tanya repeated, "When it happened, I mean?"

"Oh…uh…yes, yes I was there."

"Was it quick?"

"Yes," Alex replied, though in all honesty, she couldn't remember.

Tanya nodded, seemingly satisfied, "Good."

At that moment, Viv came around the front desk. "The Superintendent can see you now, Mrs Richards."

Tanya got to her feet and held out her hand to Jenny. The little girl hesitated, looked at Alex and then took her mother's hand. "Bye then," Tanya said.

"Bye," Alex replied, watching as they made their way down the corridor to Hogan's office. From the back, Jenny reminded her so much of Molly when she was younger. The thought of her daughter made her heart contract for a moment, before she remembered why she had come back over to the station. She tried the toilets first, then CID and finally did a whole sweep of the building, but there was no sign of Meg anywhere.

XXXX

Gene left the flat and wandered over towards the station more slowly, his mind racing. Was Alex mad, or was she simply piecing together all the parts of the puzzle that he hadn't been able to? Had she really worked out the reason why Meg was here? Not for herself, but for him? As he thought about Meg, he caught sight of her slowly walking up the street towards him. He paused and waited for her to catch up.

"Where 'ave you been?" he asked her.

"I went to the prison," she replied.

"What the bloody 'ell for?"

"I went to see Wallace." Her words were barely audible. "I 'ad to see 'im, Gene. I 'ad to prove to myself that I wasn't scared of 'im anymore."

"And?"

"And I wasn't. 'e just looked pathetic. It feels good 'aving done it," she nodded, "Box number two as Death would say."

Gene glanced around, "Is 'e 'ere?"

She shook her head, "No, but 'e'll be back."

"Listen, Meg," he said, hesitantly, "I…uh…I need to talk to you about something."

"What?"

"It's about Alex."

"Oh yeah?" She tried and failed to keep the weariness out of her tone.

"I'm worried about her mental 'ealth," he said, ignoring it, "She's got some idea into 'er 'ead now that you're not 'ere to 'elp 'er at all, but rather to 'elp me." Meg stared at him. "She reckons that I'm supposed to die 'ere, now, and that you stop it." She looked away. "You said earlier that Death was coming for me…" he left the sentiment dangling in the air.

Meg finally met his gaze, "That seems to be why 'e's 'ere," she said softly, "but I'm glad Alex 'as such faith in me."

"Bloody 'ell…"

"Gene," she stepped closer to him, "I'm not going to let anything 'appen to you, I promise."

He looked at her sadly, "I made that same promise to you once, a long time ago."

"It wasn't your fault you couldn't keep it." They looked at each other for a long moment, "Where is Alex now?"

"Went back into the station looking for you," he gestured to the door.

A cold wind suddenly whipped past, making Meg shiver. She looked up at the sky which was darkening rapidly. "The sky's so grey…"

He followed her gaze, "Yeah it is. So let's get inside before we freeze our knackers off."

XXXX

"There you are!" Alex said, catching sight of them as they walked through the door. "We need to sit down and talk!" She grabbed Meg's arm. "I think I've worked it out!"

"Gene told me," she replied.

"Good," Alex grinned, "Well, let's find a quiet corner and…put everything together." She led the way down the corridor past the interrogation room, which was still cordoned off, and into the supplies cupboard. "All right," she said, "who wants to go first?"

Gene and Meg exchanged glances. "Be my guest, Bolly," the former said.

"Right…" Alex faced them both. "Meg, you're dead…"

"Well remembered."

"…and you came to 1981 to help me choose the right path, or so we all thought. You kept reminding me about Molly and doing the right thing but, at some point, I found myself in 1983 and didn't understand what it meant. Sam was there and this guy, Vinny Richards, appeared to be involved in something. Anyway, then I died in 2008 and that left a choice for me between 1981 and 1983. But then _Richards_ died and…" Meg sighing heavily made her pause. "I'm sorry, am I boring you?"

"No," Meg replied, "carry on."

"…and then Death told you that he was here for Gene, but Danny told me in 2008 that Gene had died in 2006 and that's what made me realise that none of this has been about me at all. It's all been about saving you," she pointed to Gene. "And that's what Meg is here for." She was triumphant.

"So, what about 1983 then?" Gene asked. "What does that 'ave to do…?"

"Nothing at all," Alex waved her hand, "it was a distraction, something to try and put me off the real path. This has happened before you know."

"Then Tyler isn't really alive?"

Alex looked downcast, "No Gene, he isn't. I'm sorry."

"So, Meg's 'ere to do some Star Wars type duelling with Death…"

"Star what?" Meg asked.

"…and we just…sit back and watch?"

Alex nodded sagely, "I think so."

"I suppose that would explain Molly," Meg said, "Every time I thought I was dying she kept appearing and telling me it wasn't time yet. That I 'adn't 'elped you yet." She looked at Alex. "I thought she meant 'elping you find the right path. What she really meant was that I 'adn't battled Death yet."

"Exactly!" Alex said. "But by doing that you do, indirectly, help me."

"So, I'm supposed to fight Death and win," Meg said, "so that the two of you can be together. Here, now, in this time. You don't ever go back to 2008?" she looked at Alex again.

"No. The only bit I haven't been able to work out is Molly," she looked downcast again. "I won't see my daughter again and that...that can't be right, surely."

"When Molly told me you were dead, I asked her about that," Meg said, "She told me that she would be all right because she'll end up with Eddie."

"Who's Eddie?" Gene asked.

Meg turned and smiled at him, "Our grandson."

"Oh…er…right." He coughed. "So, what now? We just sit around and wait for Death to show up for me?"

Alex opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by the sudden sound of gunfire.

"What the bloody 'ell…" Gene threw open the door and raced down the corridor to reception where Viv was cowering behind the desk. Two bullet shaped holes in the glass door indicated the attack had come from outside. "What the…?" Gene made to ask him, before two more bullets came smashing through the glass, causing him to drop to the floor. He turned and saw Alex and Meg coming along the corridor, their bodies low towards the ground. "You two keep back!" he ordered.

At that moment, Tanya Richards came flying down the corridor screaming.

"Tanya!" Alex shouted, "What's going on?!"

"It's Vinny's lot!" the other woman shouted back. She ran for the doors just as another bullet came shattering through the glass. It hit her square in the chest and she fell heavily.

"Jesus!" Gene exclaimed, pulling his own gun from his holster.

"Mummy!" Jenny Richards came running down the corridor after her mother and Alex reached out to grab her and pull her back. "Mummy!" the little girl screamed again at the sight of her mother lying prostrate on the floor in a pool of blood.

"Why are they shooting at us?!" Meg shouted above the noise.

"It must be because Vinny died in here!" Alex shouted back. "They want revenge…"

"Well I'm not 'iding from them in me own bloody station!" Gene said, getting to his feet and striding to the door.

"No Gene!" Alex shouted, scrambling to her feet. "Wait!" But he didn't listen and kept walking, pushing open the doors and striding outside.

Meg slowly stood up. This must be it.

Alex whirled around to face her, "We can't let him go out there alone! This happened before and someone died! Shaz died!" She thrust Jenny behind the desk where Viv was still crouching and then made for the doors herself, but Meg grabbed her and pushed her back towards the nearby cleaner's cupboard. "What are you doing?" she struggled, "Meg, let go of me!" For some inexplicable reason, the younger woman was stronger and forced her inside, locking the door as she did so. "Meg!"

"Sorry Alex," Meg said, "but if you're right, then this is between me, Death and Gene." With that, she ran through the doors and down the stairs, in time to see one of the gunmen raise his weapon and fire.

The bullet hit Gene. Blood sprayed out of his chest and, like in a film, he seemed to fall in slow motion onto the ground, hitting it with a force that made Meg wince. He lay on his back, convulsing, a dark stain growing on his chest. Meg was rooted to the spot, watching in horror as the gunman stepped towards Gene and aimed the gun at him again. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, however, there was a shout from up ahead. Looking up, he paused and then leapt over Gene's body and ran back up the street, leaving it deserted.

Meg could hear her breathing echoing in her ear, the world slowing down with each laboured breath. And then she saw him. Out of the corner of her eye at first, he grew closer until he was standing a few feet in front of her.

"No!" she screamed. Death grinned at her, lop-sided. "No!" she screamed again, "You can't 'ave 'im!"

"Told you it would end this way, Meg," he said, "there's no other way." He turned his back on her and started walking slowly towards where Gene lay.

She launched herself at him, not sure if she would tear right though him or connect, not caring at that moment. Her only thought was getting him away from Gene. She had to save him, not for herself, not even for Alex, but for him. To her surprise, she _did _connect and succeeded in knocking Death clean off his feet and onto the ground. Meg landed on top of him and heard him grunt beneath her. Her jubilation was short-lived, however, as he delivered an almost impossibly swift punch to the side of her head, a punch so strong it knocked her off of him and onto her back on the ground. Winded, her head pounding, she saw him get to his feet.

"Stupid bitch," he said before turning back to where Gene still lay.

"No," she said, "no I won't let you!" Dragging herself to her feet, she stumbled forward again and grabbed the back of his jacket. Again, quick as a flash, he spun around and punched her, this time square in the jaw. She heard the crack of the bones breaking, felt blood gush from her mouth and, once again, fell back onto the ground.

"This isn't a game!" he raged at her, "Stay back!"

"No…" she gargled through a mouthful of blood, "No…"

"You're dead!" he screamed at her, "You can't stop this!"

"Yes I can!" she screamed back, "I'm not going to let you take 'im!"

"Really?" Death strode up to her and delivered a sharp kick to her side before stamping hard on her chest. Her ribs splintered and there was sudden, intense pain. "Try and stop me now! You really are way out of your depth!"

For all the fight she had had when Wallace had taken her, it had been for herself. This time, she was fighting for someone else, for the person she loved most in the world, and she couldn't give up, could never give up…

Pulling herself onto her stomach, barely able to raise her head, she saw Death crouched over Gene. He looked like he was talking to him. Gene's body was shaking, most likely out of shock because she knew a little thing like Death would never scare her Gene Genie. With enormous effort, spitting blood and mucus as she did so, she managed to get to her feet, but only made it a couple of steps before collapsing onto the ground again.

Death looked over his shoulder and grinned. "She's a fighter, Gene. You've got to give her that. Doesn't quite know when to give up though." He straightened up. "Don't worry, this isn't going to hurt."

If he was talking to her, the sentiment was too late. Meg had never felt pain like it. She wanted to die right there in the street and forget any of this had ever happened. But in her mind's eye, she could see Danny, hear Ted having to explain to him why he had lost two parents. Gene's gun lay discarded on the ground a few feet away from her. Painfully, she dragged herself towards it, feeling her lungs burn and her body protest loudly. She stretched, but couldn't quite reach it. "Come on, Meg," she told herself, "come on, if this is the last thing you have to do, you can do this." She forced herself to move once more and then felt her fingers close around the cold metal. Pushing herself up as far as she could, she aimed at Death and fired.

The bullet hit him in the back and he let out a noise that she could only have described as otherworldly. It was somewhere between a shout and a scream and it deafened her. He turned quickly and she could see the fury in his face. She fired again, hitting him this time in the chest. He stumbled back, almost falling over Gene's form. When she fired the third time, he fell onto his back, another scream tearing from his lips. He twitched then lay still.

Meg didn't know if he was dead. Was it even possible to kill Death? Spitting more blood, trying hard not to choke, she dragged herself closer to Gene, grabbed his ankle, then his knee, then his thigh, pulling herself closer towards him until she was level with him. He wasn't moving now, not even a spasm, and the dark stain covered his whole chest and extended to the ground beneath him. Lifting her hand, she saw the blood staining her skin and didn't know if it was his or her own.

In the distance, she heard the wail of a siren, heard voices from somewhere above her. It was too loud, it was all too loud and there was too much pain. Wrapping her arm around him and resting her head against him, she closed her eyes.


	18. Chapter 18

**As if I would leave you hanging...sorry I haven't replied to everyone's reviews this week but my computer is very tempremental! I hope you enjoy this one!!**

Gene had always wondered what death had been like for Meg. In his darkest moments, when he had thought about her final ones, he had tried to imagine what she had been thinking…how she had been feeling. He knew she must have been terrified, screaming, begging for her life. But in that moment, that clear moment, when it was all over, what did she see? How did she feel? Had she been thinking about him the way that he was now thinking about her?

The bullet hitting him had been painful, as had the fall to the ground which he had been unable to prevent. Lying there, staring at the sky, feeling the pain course through his body, feeling light headed and sick, had been one of the loneliest moments of his life. It made him wish, more than ever before, that he had been with Meg at the end. Even if he couldn't have saved her he should have been there. Someone should have been there.

He saw the figure standing over him. A tall male figure that he could only assume was the spectre of death Meg had described. He had been talking to him, but he couldn't make out the words. He had heard shouting and screaming coming from a few feet away but the sounds were muffled, as though he was underwater. Death moved out of his vision every now and then, but he didn't know why, or what he was doing. At the back of his mind, he recalled Alex's prediction that Meg needed to battle Death to save him, but he didn't want to allow himself to think that that might be what was happening.

Then there was a scream and Death fell from view and then there was an interminable silence. He couldn't move his limbs then. Couldn't speak, couldn't do anything except lie there, stare at the sky and do something that he hadn't done for years.

Pray.

XXXX

There was commotion all around when Viv let her out of the cupboard. Officers were running up and down the corridors, people were shouting and Tanya Richards' body still lay in the middle of the floor.

"What's happened?!" she demanded, as soon as she was released.

"The Guv's been shot," he replied quietly, yet with an edge of panic in his voice that she had only heard once before.

"Meg…" Alex said, before pushing past him and heading for the door. In the distance, she could hear the sound of an ambulance siren, but all she could see when she emerge outside, was a crowd of people. She ran down the steps, pushed through and found herself looking down at Gene. "Oh God…" she said, crouching beside him. "Gene…"

"Ambulance is on it's way, Ma'am," she looked up and saw Chris standing to her right looking extremely shaken.

"Did you see what happened?" she demanded. "Did anyone see what happened?" No-one offered anything. "Gene…" she took his head in her hands. "Gene, please talk to me." His eyes were closed, lips slightly parted, but she couldn't take her eyes from the red stain on his shirt. To her relief, he still had a faint pulse and he was breathing. Glancing around, she tried to see if Death was hovering on the fringes, but there was no sign of him. Equally, there was no sign of Meg. "Where's the ambulance?!" she shouted.

"It's coming!" Ray said, running towards them, "It's 'ere! It's 'ere!" His words were almost drowned out by the siren as the ambulance turned into the street and raced towards them. The group scattered, leaving Alex next to Gene. The ambulance stopped and two ambulance men jumped out.

"What's his name?" one of them asked, barely looking at her, checking Gene's pulse and airway.

"Gene," she replied, "Gene Hunt."

"All right, Gene," he said, "we're just going to get you onto the stretcher." With the aid of the other man, he rolled Gene gently to his side and slipped the stretcher underneath his body and then rolled him back. Gene made no sound, no movement.

"Is he going to be all right?" Alex heard herself asking. They didn't reply. "I said, is he going to be all right?"

"Sooner we get him to hospital the better," he replied. "Come on then. One, two three…" they lifted the stretcher and carried it to the open ambulance door. Sliding it inside, the man who had spoken to her climbed in beside the stretcher while the other closed the doors and then hurried round to the driver's door.

"Is that it?" Alex demanded, chasing him, "Can't you do something here? Give him drugs or…or at least examine him or…" she trailed off.

"Doc'll do that in casualty," he replied, "we just keep them stable." He gunned the engine and, the next thing she knew, the ambulance was pulling away, its sirens blaring again.

"Let's get the Quattro!" Ray shouted. He started running towards the station, followed by Chris. "Ma'am!" he shouted back to Alex who was stood watching the ambulance disappear. "You coming?"

Alex turned, preparing to follow them, but she then caught sight of a figure half propped up against the wall at the foot of the steps and instantly recognised it as Meg. "I'll follow you!" she called back. Ray and Chris didn't wait to ask any questions.

As the crowd dispersed from the area, Alex ran over to Meg. She saw how battered and bruised the younger woman was and knew, without even having to ask, that the battle talked off had been fought and won. Her face was swollen and caked in blood, as were her clothes. On the ground beneath her, there was a small pool of blood.

"Meg?" she crouched in front of her.

Meg opened her eyes, screwed up slightly due to the swelling on her face. "Alex…" she slowly licked her lips, cracked with blood. "Gene…" With every word, Alex could hear the crunch of her broken jawbone.

"He's on his way to hospital. The ambulance just took him. It's a serious gunshot wound, but…but they're optimistic that he's going to be fine." It was a lie, but one that she knew Meg needed to hear.

"Good…" Meg said, "Glad it…it was worth it…"

"What happened?" Alex felt a sudden need to know every detail. "Was it Death?"

"He…tried to take Gene…" Meg looked at her, a glint of triumph in her eyes. "I wouldn't let 'im. 'e thought…'e could…could stop me by doing…doing this." She gestured to herself. "But 'e couldn't…" she groaned in pain. "I shot 'im."

Alex looked at her, feeling helpless, not knowing what to do for the best. "Meg…you're hurt. You must be in terrible pain. What…what can I do?"

Meg shook her head, "Nothing."

"But…"

"I'm already dead, Alex," Meg said, "not…not much to be done." She let out a shuddering breath and gripped her side. "'urts more than the last time." Alex felt tears spring into her eyes as she contemplated what she knew was in the other woman's mind. "You should go…go to the 'ospital. You should be with 'im. That's what…what I did this for after all."

Alex felt torn. She wanted to be with Gene, wanted him to know how much she loved him, how much she needed to be by his side. But, another side of her felt that she should be by Meg's side until the end. Just like she knew Gene would have wanted to be. She sat down on the ground beside Meg, pressing her own back against the wall. "I think I'll stay."

"You don't 'ave to."

"Gene would want me to."

Meg didn't reply. She didn't say anything for a long time, except occasionally letting out the odd moan or cry of pain. Alex wanted to comfort her, to do something, yet she didn't know what. Talking about generalities seemed so inappropriate and her mind was half on Gene.

"Are you sure I can't…?"

"No."

As time passed, and the night wore on, the temperature dipped until Alex could barely feel her limbs. The street was quiet, everyone either inside writing their statements or at the hospital. No-one seemed concerned by her sat out here, seemingly on her own.

"Promise me something," Meg said suddenly.

"What?"

"You'll look…look after 'im. 'e might come across as being the tough, arrogant bastard…" Alex laughed in spite of herself, "but deep down…" she didn't need to finish her sentence.

"I know," Alex said, knowing that it took a lot for Meg to ask, "and I promise."

"Taking 'is bloody time," Meg said after another protracted silence.

"Who?"

"Death. Wonder…wonder if 'e'll be as good looking as…as Gene's…" She let out a weak chuckle which descended into a cough and then into more groans of pain. When she spoke again, her breathing was even more laboured, a sign of her punctured lung. "Make…sure you…spend time with…Danny too…if…if you can."

The lump in Alex's throat was so large she could barely breathe.

"I know…'e's going…to grow up to…to be a…a great man…" she said, "but…'e'll need a bit…bit of 'elp sometimes. Gene'll try but…"

"Yes," Alex said, remembering the conversation she had had with Danny in 2008. "I'll do what I can."

"Thank you." Meg shifted slightly, "It's been good…"

"What has?" Alex asked, curious to know what part of any of it had been good.

"Being…able to spend…spend time with Gene…say things…" she trailed off. "Been good to…to see Danny too…and you."

"Me?"

Meg laughed slightly again, "You're…not so bad…Alex."

"Neither are you, Meg," Alex replied, swallowing her tears.

"You said…said it 'ad an 'appy ending."

"What did?"

"_Ghost._ I guess…guess that means 'e doesn't live on, does 'e?"

Alex paused, "No. Sam…uh…he gets the chance to say goodbye to Molly and then…" she broke off, knowing she was about to cry.

Meg smiled, "Exactly 'ow it…it should be." She shivered. "Sky...sky's so grey..."

More time passed and Alex could feel her eyes growing heavy with sleep. She felt cold and tired, exhausted even. The events of the past few days all began tumbling down on top of her and she felt like weeping through it all. She wondered how much longer she would be expected to carry on for.

"Mum?"

Meg's voice startled her. "What?"

"Mum…"

She turned and looked. Meg's eyes were closed, her body slumped against the wall, her face devoid of all colour, her breath rattling in her chest. "Meg?" she whispered. Despite everything, Meg was smiling.

"Mum…" she let out one final, crackling breath and then was silent.

For a moment, Alex wasn't sure what had happened. She stared at Meg, willing to see her chest rising, praying for the terrible death rattle to start again, anything to prove that the other woman was still there. There was nothing. No movement. "Meg?" she reached out and gently shook Meg's shoulder, but there was no response. "Meg." She tried again, but again there was no response.

Turning onto her knees, she reached out, bearing the weight of Meg's body in her hands and lowering her onto her back on the ground. "Meg…" she reached out and pushed Meg's hair back from her face, "Meg…" She was about to start CPR, try to bring Meg back the way she had brought Shaz back. It had worked then, it would work now. But as she was about to start compressions, she took in Meg's battered body, the evidence of violence, and then the smile on her face.

"Mum…" she said to herself, realising what it was Meg meant. She had seen her mother. Her mother had come and Meg had gone. It was the way it was supposed to be. The way it should have been the first time. "I'm sorry," she said, the tears starting to fall. "I'm sorry…thank you…" She bent forward and rested her head against Meg's chest, allowing herself to sob. Out of relief? Out of guilt? She wasn't sure which but, deep down despite everything, she knew she was going to miss Meg.

"Ma'am?" She heard Viv's voice calling from the top of the steps, though she knew he couldn't see her from his position. "Ma'am, are you there?"

Wiping her eyes viciously, she pulled herself to her feet and stepped forward. "Yes Viv?"

"There you are, Ma'am. Chris just phoned. DCI Hunt's out of surgery. He's not out of the woods yet, but they said it's looking positive."

Alex let out a shuddering sigh of relief. "Good."

"He's asking if you're going down there."

"Gene?" she couldn't believe he could be awake just yet.

"No, Chris."

"Yes," she said, nodding, "yes I'll…I'll go there now."

"I'll let him know, Ma'am," Viv said. Turning, he went back into the station.

Alex ran a hand through her hair, feeling relief flood through her at the thought that he appeared to be doing well. "Hear that, Meg?" she said, "You did it. They think he's going to be ok." She turned back, expecting to see Meg's body still lying where she had left it. Instead, she saw only the empty street, the wind whistling past her. For the first time, she was alone.

She gazed at that spot for a long moment and then, zipping up her jacket against the cold, she turned in a full circle, much like she had that first day in CID, gazing at the sky. Then she closed her eyes tightly. "Goodbye."


	19. Chapter 19

**Sorry for the delay everyone but here is the next chapter and a happy ending is on the cards...or is it?**

Alex was surprised when she reached the hospital how many officers from Fenchurch East were there hanging around the casualty department. Then she chided herself for her surprise. Gene was popular and it was only natural that so many of the team would be concerned for his wellbeing. As she pushed her way through the crowds and up to the main desk, she searched for any sign of Ray or Chris.

"Can I help you?" the bored looking receptionist asked.

"DCI Gene Hunt?"

"Room seven."

"Thank you." She turned and began making her way down the corridor, searching for room seven, needed to see him, know that he was all right, tell him all the things that she knew he needed to hear. As she rounded a corner, she suddenly froze as she caught sight of Molly standing in front of her. People hurried by, seemingly oblivious to the young girl standing there, but for the first time since arriving in 1981 she knew that it wasn't just a feeling, a certainty that her daughter was behind her, but an actual, full on vision. And Molly didn't look sad or upset. In fact, she looked happy.

"Molly?" Alex whispered.

Molly smiled, "It's all right, Mum," she said, "I'll be all right."

Alex felt a lump form in her throat. She was leaving her baby, how could she leave her baby behind? "I want to come back to you, Molls, I really do…"

"You can't," Molly replied, "you belong here now and it's all right. I know that you love me and I love you and we _will_ see each other again someday."

"But…"

"You made the right decision, Mum," Molly continued, "Meg helped you see it and you made it. It was right."

"Boss?" Alex turned to see Chris standing behind her, "the Guv's asking for you."

"All right, let me just…" she turned back around but Molly had vanished, leaving only an empty space where she had been, a memory, nothing more. "I'm…I'm coming." Giving the space one last look she followed Chris to Gene's room, knocked softly on the door and then let herself in.

It was dark inside, the only light coming from the lamp by the bed and the flashing green symbols on the machines. He was lying slightly propped up on the bed, heart monitors attached to his chest and an oxygen mask covering his mouth. At first, when she approached, she thought he was sleeping, then his eyes fluttered open and his gaze met hers and she felt that deep pull from inside that inexplicably bound her to him.

"Hi," she greeted him, "how are you feeling?"

"Crap," he replied, his words muffled slightly by the mask, "like I've been shot in the chest."

She smiled wanly, "You have."

"Well observed, Bolls. No wonder you made DI when you did." Alex laughed and sat down in the chair beside him. Instinctively, she reached out and took his hand in hers, squeezing it lightly. "You all right?" he asked.

"Me? I'm fine," she said, "all the better for knowing you're going to make it."

"Takes more than a bullet to get rid of me." He paused and held her gaze for a long moment and she knew that he wanted to ask and yet was afraid to. She waited, not wanting to prompt him, until he was ready to say it himself. "Meg?"

"She's gone."

He paused, seeming to weigh this up. "When?"

"A couple of hours ago."

"'ow?"

Alex paused, wanting to spare him the details of Meg's injuries and her final, painful, yet somehow satisfying, moments. "How it was meant to be," she said, "she just…slipped away." She heard his breath catch slightly in his throat and knew he was suppressing emotion. "But she died doing what she had to do. She saved your life and at least you were able to resolve things with her."

"Yeah," he said gruffly.

"She knew how much you loved her."

He nodded slightly. "Have the doctors told you when you can expect to go home?" she asked, changing the subject.

He coughed. "They reckon maybe by the end of the week if I'm lucky. Gonna need lots of TLC mind you."

Alex leaned over so that her gaze was level with his, "I'm sure I could manage that."

"'ere to stay then are you?" he asked lightly, "no more talk of going 'ome, no more wishing you could leave?"

"No," she said, "none of that."

"No more nonsense about 1983?"

Alex paused. Perhaps it had all been a strange dream. Richards was dead, Tyler was dead…it wasn't possible. "No more nonsense," she reassured him. "It's just going to be you and me…forever."

"Good," he said, his eyes suddenly starting to close, "now get yourself 'ome. Gene Genie needs 'is kip…"

She watched as he drifted off to sleep, then she leant over and kissed him gently on the forehead, feeling her heart fill with love at the prospect of being with him, side by side, for however long they were given together. No-one could predict their own destiny, Meg had shown her that, so she was determined that if this was what was meant to be, then she would embrace it whole-heartedly. "I love you," she whispered.

She sat for another half hour while he slept, still holding onto his hand and then, realising that she needed more coffee if she was to stay awake any longer, she left the room and ran straight into Chris.

"Uniform 'ave picked up the bloke that shot the Guv," he told her excitedly.

"Good," she said.

"Pathologist also called about Richards. Said it was a massive overdose."

Alex sighed, relief flooding through her, "Good."

"So, it's all over."

"All over," she echoed.

"You all right, boss?" he asked, concerned, "you look a bit pale."

"Nothing a cup of coffee won't cure," she replied. "Keep an eye on him for me?"

"Will do boss."

Alex made her way back down the corridor searching for the nearest makeshift coffee machine. She found one, tucked away around a corner, took a cup of the thick liquid and then sat down on a hard plastic chair and put her head in her hands. She was so utterly exhausted…

"How is he?" a familiar voice suddenly asked from above.

"Fine," Alex replied without looking up, weary of providing the same information over and over again. "Tired and in pain but they say he should be back on his feet by the end of the week."

"Good." The person sat next to her on the plastic chairs. "I came as soon as I could." Alex finally looked over and was shocked to discover the identity of her companion. "It's not easy when you're so deep undercover. I can only stay for a few minutes in case Ray or Chris or any of the others see me."

"What are you doing here?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I needed to be here to make sure he was all right."

"No, I mean what are you doing _here?_"

"Oh, that. I would have thought you of all people would know I can't answer that," he smiled. "Am I mad, in a coma or back in time?"

Alex stared at him, the same Sam Tyler she had interviewed upon his awakening, now sat beside her in 1981 looking exactly the same as he had before. "You came back," she said. "You went home…and then you came back."

"This _is _my home, Alex," he said, "or at least it was before I took this assignment. Annie didn't want me to but...I felt I had to. Like it was my duty." He shook his head, "It's difficult though, being away from the kids."

"Kids?"

He nodded, "Two boys. I miss them every day, but hopefully it won't be for much longer."

"Gene…and the others…"

"They all think I died in that jewellery heist last year," he explained. "It was all part of the plan to start my cover. I didn't like having to watch them bury me and grieve, but it was best all round. The only people who know about me are Annie and my undercover contact."

"Aren't you putting yourself in terrible danger by coming here?"

"Yes, but like I said…I needed to know he was going to be all right." He gave her a tight smile. "You saved his life."

"No," she shook her head, "no I didn't. Meg did."

"Meg?" he said her name with a faint tinge of surprise, "she's someone I haven't thought about for a long time."

"I suppose not."

Sam got to his feet, "I have to go."

Alex jumped up, "Don't you want to…I mean I know he would love it if…?"

"I can't stay and he can't know I was here. He can't know I'm alive, Alex, not yet. Understand?" he searched her face.

She nodded, "I understand."

He held out his hand, "Goodbye and…good luck."

She shook it and found herself almost surprised that he was real. He turned to leave when a thought suddenly struck her. "Wait!" He stopped. "1983."

"What about it?"

"I had a…a dream or…or a hallucination, I don't know which," she said, "but it was 1983 and you were there with me and…and with Gene and we were tied up and…" she broke off, "I thought it couldn't be real because you were dead but now…"

"If I could give you one piece of advice for surviving here, it would be; don't think too far ahead, Alex," he advised her, "if we're supposed to meet again in 1983 then we will. Annie used to tell me all the time to 'enjoy the moment.' That's my gift to you. Enjoy your moments because you've no idea how many you're going to have or how long they'll last for."

Alex nodded and then watched as he turned, hurried out of the door and disappeared into the night.

"Ma'am?"

She turned and saw Viv standing behind her, his expression grave. "Yes Viv?" she asked, forcing herself back to some form of reality.

"I've just had a radio call from the station," he said, "A WPC Norris called from Manchester to say that a young boy had wandered into the police station up there looking for DCI Hunt."

"A boy?" Alex echoed, "It wasn't…"

Viv nodded, "Danny Ryan, the Guv's son."

"Well, is he all right? What was he doing at the station?"

"Looking for help, ma'am," Viv continued, "Officers took him home and discovered his grandfather lying dead at the bottom of the stairs. Suspected heart attack." Alex's mouth dropped open. "They're trying to find someone who can take the boy in, otherwise the only option is a foster home."

Alex paused. This was not how things were meant to work out. This chain of events was not the chain of events Danny Ryan had described to her in 2008. Had something she had done really altered history? Was this what was meant to happen? How was she supposed to make a decision about another woman's child when she had just abandonded her own? Then she remembered Meg's words, begging her to help look after Danny and she realised what she needed to do.

"See if they can keep him there tonight. I'll go up first thing tomorrow and collect him."


	20. Chapter 20

**You know it's time to update when you slip to number 15 on the story list! Here's the next chapter and I reckon there's one more after this before I wrap up this story. Please read and review!**

Gene was still sleeping when Alex returned to his room, his head slightly tilted to one side, his breath steaming up the oxygen mask, the relentless bleeping of the heart monitor keeping pace with her own. She wanted to shake him awake and tell him about Danny, knowing how concerned he would be for his son's welfare. Something inside however, made her pause. She wanted to suspend that moment in time forever, that moment where he was caught between sleep and awake, unaware of the drama unfolding around him. She wanted to spare him from the pain she knew she had to inflict.

Gingerly, she sat down in the chair beside his bed and took his hand in hers. His skin was warm and smooth to the touch and she ran her fingers over his, eagerly awaiting and anticipating the feel of his hands on her body again, then chiding herself for allowing her thoughts to venture that way where there was so much else going on. As she sat watching him, she felt her eyes grow heavy, realising that she had had very little sleep in the last few days.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed before there was a soft knock at the door which caused her to jump. Checking her watch, she saw that she had been sleeping for over an hour. Looking up, she watched the door open and saw Viv appear again. Smiling, she gestured for him to come in.

"How is he, ma'am?" he asked, quietly tiptoeing over to the bed.

"Fine," she replied, stretching, "still asleep."

"You haven't told him then, yet?"

"No," she shook her head, "I can't bring myself to wake him. He'll be so upset at the fact that Danny's up there all alone, not to mention devastated about Ted…" she trailed off, thinking about the other man, so real and alive only days before, now another body on the seemingly endless list.

"I've spoken to WPC Norris again," Viv continued, "they're going to keep the boy there tonight and I said you would be there to pick him up tomorrow."

"Thank you. Did she say how he was?"

"Very quiet, ma'am. That's all she said."

"No wonder."

"What are you going to do, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Bring him back down here."

"To live?"

Alex looked up and saw the slight trace of disbelief on his face. "Yes, to live. He's Gene's son." She stopped, suddenly conscious of the fact that she was making decisions for him without consulting him. Perhaps he wouldn't want Danny to live with him. Perhaps he would have another idea. But, knowing him the way she knew him, she couldn't imagine him wanting anything else.

At that precise moment, Gene groaned slightly and stirred. Viv stepped back from the bed and indicated that he was leaving the room. She was grateful, knowing that she wanted them to be alone when she did this. Leaning over the bed, she watched as Gene's eyes fluttered and then opened.

"Welcome back sleepy head," she said gently.

He looked at her, blinking away the last vestiges of sleep, "You still 'ere?"

"And where would I go?" she teased.

"Told you to go 'ome." His voice was scratchy.

"I'd rather stay here with you." She smiled tightly, wanting to prolong what she had to tell him for as long as possible. She didn't count, however, on Gene's uncanny perception.

"What's up?" he asked. She paused, unsure how to present it to him. "Spit it out, Bolly. Am I being pensioned off?"

"No," she smiled lovingly, "No it's…it's Ted."

"What about 'im? Is 'e 'ere? Does 'e want to 'ave a go at me about something else? Now that we've solved Meg's murder 'e must be scouting around for a new thing to throw at me."

"No, he's…" she stopped, "Viv got a phone call from the station in Manchester. Danny…Danny had gone to the station looking for you."

"For me? Danny's a smart kid, 'e knows I don't work there."

"Well, he was looking for help," she continued, "and when the police took him back to the house they found…well they found…"

"Found what?"

Alex sighed, "I'm so sorry, Gene, but Ted's dead."

There was a stunned silence whereby he simply continued to stare at her uncomprehendingly. The only sound was the machine beside the bed. "What?"

"They think he had a heart attack," Alex dropped her voice. "I'm so sorry. I know how close you were despite…"

"Ted's dead?" Gene repeated incredulously. "But…we only saw 'im a few days ago!"

"I know."

"'Ow can 'e be..?" he paused, "Danny."

"He's all right. The police have him at the station and they're going to keep him there until…what are you doing?" she slid back in her seat as Gene ripped off his oxygen mask and tried to sit up. "Gene, what are you doing?"

"I 'ave to get up there," he removed the pads from his chest, causing the machine to whine in protest and pushed the covers off.

"Stop it!" Alex protested, standing up.

"''e's my son, Alex. I should be there for 'im!"

"You're in no fit state…"

"Ow…Jesus…" he buckled in pain as he tried to swing his legs over the bed and get to his feet. The colour drained from his face and he flopped back down onto his back.

"I _demand _you stay in this bed!" Alex said loudly. "You've just had major surgery and…"

The door of the room flew open and a nurse and doctor hurried in. "Mr Hunt," the doctor said, "Mr Hunt, is everything all right?"

"No it bloody isn't!" Gene replied, "I want to get out of 'ere right now!"

"You can't do that," the doctor said, as the nurse tried to re-fix the pads to his chest, "You've been through a terrible trauma and your body needs time to heal."

"Bollocks. Fit as a fiddle I am…" he pushed the nurse away and made to sit up again, but the pain was, once again, too great and forced him back down.

"Gene please…" Alex begged. "Listen to them, please."

"Mr Hunt, I must insist that you…"

"'e's my son!" Gene roared. The nurse stepped back, shocked by the ferocity of his response. The doctor was momentarily stunned into silence. Only Alex seemed able to find her voice.

"I know," she said, hurrying forward again and clasping his hand in hers, "I know that but…you doing more damage to yourself isn't going to help Danny, is it?" He looked at her and she could see the desperation in his face. "Please Gene, you know I'm right."

The fire seemed to go out of him and he slumped back, defeated. "'e's my boy…" he said again, much quieter now, and she could hear the crack in his voice.

"And I'm going to get him. I'm going to leave right now and I'm going to get him and bring him back to you, I promise. Gene," she stoked his face gently, "I promise."

He nodded imperceptibly and Alex let out the breath she hadn't realised she had been holding. Nodding to the nurse that it was all right now, she stepped back and allowed her to re-fix the pads to his chest.

She moved towards the door, "I promise you, he's going to be all right."

"You'll bring 'im 'ere?" he asked, "When you get 'im, you'll bring 'im 'ere, won't you?"

"Yes," she replied, "I promise this is the first place that I'll bring him." It broke her heart to leave him when he was clearly so vulnerable, but the mother instinct inside her knew that she had to put Danny first and when she looked back at Gene before stepping out the door, she realised that he knew that too.

**Manchester**

It had gone six pm by the time Alex arrived in Manchester. She had had to stop twice for fear that she was going to fall asleep at the wheel. Part of her had wanted to simply push on, but good sense had won out by telling her that if she got herself killed, Danny would have no-one.

Pulling the car to a halt at the bottom of the steps, she climbed out and shielded her eyes against the setting sun. She looked up at the building before her and thought that this was where Sam had been. It gave her a funny feeling, especially knowing that he was alive and well somewhere. She climbed the steps and made her way to the front desk where an older woman was flipping through some paperwork.

"Can I 'elp you?" she asked, without looking up.

"Yes, I'm DI Alex Drake from Fenchurch East in London," Alex took out her warrant card. "I'm here to see…"

"You're 'ere for the boy," the woman looked up, her face a picture of sympathy. "Poor little lad. As if 'e 'asn't 'ad enough in 'is life already. WPC Norris 'as got 'im the canteen. Last I saw, 'e was eating chips."

"Thank you," Alex replied, "down this way?" She gestured to the door on the left.

"Straight down the corridor, can't miss it." She shook her head again, "It's a crying shame. Spitting image of 'is mother too."

Alex smiled in agreement and then made her way down the corridor as directed. When she opened the doors of the canteen, she saw Danny immediately. He was sitting at a table in the far corner with his back to her a woman, whom she assumed was WPC Norris, with him.

"Hello," she said, as she walked over, "I'm DI Alex Drake." The greeting was meant for WPC Norris but, upon seeing her, Danny leapt to his feet.

"Alex!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around her waist and burying his face in her stomach.

"Hello Danny," she greeted him softly, pleased that he was slightly more animated than she had been led to believe. When he had pulled back, she crouched down in front of him, "How are you?"

"Ok," he replied stoically.

"I'm…uh…I'm very sorry about your Granddad." He looked at the floor. "I know that you loved him very much and that he loved you."

"He's gone to be with Mummy and Grandma now," Danny looked straight at her and it was like looking into Gene's eyes.

"Yes," she whispered, "yes he has."

"I'm Helen Norris," the WPC said, diverting her attention.

"Please to meet you," Alex shook her outstretched hand, "Thank you for looking after him for me."

"Oh 'e was no trouble," Helen replied, "been as good as gold, 'aven't you?" Danny nodded in agreement. "I tell you what, I don't know where you put all them chips." She smiled at him. "Are you taking him down to London?"

"Yes," Alex replied, "his dad's in hospital right now but I'll be able to watch him until he's better."

"Yeah we 'eard," Helen said, "terrible business. Give 'im all our best, won't you?"

"I will."

"Bye then Danny," Helen said, giving him a quick hug, "You be good now, ok?"

"Ok," he nodded sagely.

"Come on," Alex took his hand and they walked out of the canteen back to the front desk.

"Are we going to see Daddy?"

"Yes, I know he's very eager to see you," she replied, "so we can go to the hospital before I take you home."

"Is he going to die too?" The question was said so innocently, yet it bruised Alex's heart to hear it.

"No," she said, stopping and looking at him, "No, he's isn't." Danny seemed satisfied with that answer and they made their way towards the door. "Thank you," she said to the officer on the desk.

"No trouble love. Bye now Danny. You be good for your Dad."

"I will," he replied, waving, "bye Phyllis."

_Phyllis? _Alex paused and looked at the woman for a long moment, before opening the door and leading Danny outside. She thought she was used to it, but seeing someone Sam had described in such vivid detail still had the capability to shock her.

**London**

"I don't like hospitals," Danny whispered as he and Alex made their way along the deserted corridor to Gene's room.

"I don't either," she replied, "but we'll only be a minute and then I'll take you home to bed." She knew she needed a proper sleep herself. It was after midnight and she was completely and utterly exhausted. Rounding the corner, she saw that the bedside light was on in Gene's room and knew that he would have been determined to stay awake to see his son.

She opened the door as quietly as possible, in case he was sleeping, and peered round it.

"Bolly?" he said instantly. She opened the door wider. "Is 'e…?"

"Daddy!" Danny raced forwards and leapt onto the bed before Alex could stop him. Gene groaned in pain as his son landed on top of him.

"Danny, be careful!" Alex leapt forward and made to pull him back, but Gene held up his hand to stop her.

Danny lay flat out on top of him for a moment, his head resting against Gene's chest, his eyes shut tightly and a smile on his face. Finally, he pulled himself back upright and looked down at him. "Did it hurt?"

"Yes it blo…yes it did," Gene caught himself in time.

"Alex says you're not going to die."

Gene met her gaze over his son's head, "No son, I'm not going to die."

"Good!"

"Come on you," Alex said, "time to get you home."

"Can't we stay?" Danny protested, looking at her with big eyes.

"We can come back tomorrow," she promised, "but we all need to get some proper rest right now." Reluctantly, he climbed off of the bed and slipped his hand in hers.

"Night Daddy," he said, in a tone that indicated he was less than happy about having to leave.

"Night son," Gene replied before looking at Alex. "Thank you."

She smiled and bent to give him a quick kiss, "No, thank _you_."


	21. Chapter 21

**Here it is, the last chapter. Sorry I haven't replied to everyone's reviews this week but I do appreciate the time everyone takes to leave one. I hope you've enjoyed the story, even if it has been a little weird and nonsensical at times!!**

**Six weeks later**

"Bloody sodding hell!"

"Bloody sodding hell!"

"What?" Gene turned from where he was standing at the cooker trying to make head or tail of what he was supposed to do and saw Danny standing at the table grinning at him. "Eh…no you…you didn't 'ear that, ok?"

"Bloody sodding hell!" Danny exclaimed again.

"Stop it."

"Bloody sodding …"

"Daniel Edward Ryan!"

The use of his full name brought Danny up short and he deliberately closed his mouth and looked cowed.

"Do you know 'ow to work this thing?" Gene gestured to the cooker.

"No."

"Fat load of 'elp you are then," he said turning back and opening the door. It smelled as though it was about ready, but he couldn't be sure and the last thing he wanted to do was give the three of them food poisoning. As he straightened up, he felt his scar pull painfully and cursed himself for not remembering to move more slowly. Six weeks on and people were still saying he was lucky to be alive. Knowing that he was the only person left to look after his son made him realise that what they said was true and, crazy or not, he thanked Meg every morning for what she had done.

"I'll set the table!" Danny declared, hurrying over to the drawer and beginning to pull out cutlery. One by one, he banged three sets of knives and forks down followed by three glasses. "There!" he said when he was finished.

"Very good," Gene replied, turning to admire his son's handiwork. "Go and watch out the window and let me know when you see 'er coming." Danny scampered off into the living room leaving him to try and work out how best to salvage the meal.

After she had brought Danny down to London, Alex had taken him straight to Gene's house and got him settled in the spare room. She had suggested taking him to the flat above Luigi's instead, but he had told her that it would be best that Danny be where he was going to live from now on. While he was in hospital, she stayed at his house, slept in his bed and it gave him comfort to know that she was there. She took leave from work and brought Danny to the hospital every day to see him. All in all, she became like his mother. The irony of that wasn't lost on him. The fact that Meg had been here and was now gone forever and the fact that Alex still talked about her own daughter and the fact that she had left her behind in 2008. He still wasn't entirely convinced that she wasn't completely mad, but he decided to let it go. He was just happy to have her in his life.

"She's here!" Danny shouted from the living room.

"Bollocks!" Gene declared, slamming the oven door shut and cranking up the temperature again for good measure. Then he made his way through to the front door where Danny had let Alex in.

"Danny tells me you're getting angry with the cooker," she said by way of greeting, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Yeah well," he said, not wanting to reveal the depths of his ineptitude, "Not the kind of thing I've done before. Cooking for a bird that is."

She stepped towards him and kissed him lightly, a promise of what would come later. "I'm sure it'll be wonderful," she said softly, "especially if this young man helped." She turned back to Danny who was jumping around from foot to foot.

"'elp? 'im?" Gene replied jokingly, "all 'e ever does is stand around and criticise!" He turned back to her, "Wine?"

"Yes please." Alex sat down on the couch while Gene poured her a glass and Danny launched into a long monologue about what he had done that day. As he handed her the glass, he tried to convey to her that he was grateful she was indulging his son.

"And Dad says I don't have to go back to school til after the holidays!"

"Really?" Alex raised her eyebrows.

"Well 'e missed it what with 'is leg and all and it's practically the holidays anyway," Gene replied, "besides, it's a whole new world to get used to down 'ere." The truth was, he was enjoying spending the time with his son and trying to make up for all the years he had ignored him. They were bumping along together pretty nicely at the moment.

"What are we eating tonight then?" Alex jolted him back to reality.

"Chicken."

"Lovely."

"Let's hope so," he walked to the kitchen door and peered round it, relieved not to see black smoke emanating from the cooker. "It shouldn't be too much longer."

"Alex, Dad bought me a new train!" Danny declared suddenly.

"For your collection? Wow!"

"I'll show you!" Before either of them could reply, he bounded out of the room and took the stairs two at a time.

"It's good to see that his leg's healed well enough," Alex commented.

"Like father like son."

"How is it?" she asking, moving closer to him and placing her hands gently on his chest.

"How's what?" he asked, feeling the pleasurably swelling in his abdomen.

"Your injury," she replied, stretching the words out fairly lasciviously.

"Fine," he replied, "want to take a look?"

"Maybe later," she whispered as the sound of pounding feet indicating Danny's imminent return.

Gene left Alex admiring the new engine while he went back into the kitchen and made a show of banging around to indicate that he was slaving away. Minutes later, he announced that dinner was ready and the three of them sat down.

"If it's terrible, just leave it," he whispered to her as he put her plate down in front of her.

"I'm sure it'll be lovely," she replied encouragingly. Danny, meanwhile, was wolfing his down as though he hadn't seen food for a week. "Slow down," she chided him, "you're as bad as Molly sometimes."

Danny stopped chewing and looked at her thoughtfully, "Would I like Molly?"

"Yes you would," Alex replied, "in fact you'll be her father-in-law one day."

"Her what?" Danny asked.

"More coke?" Gene said loudly, opening another can and passing it to his son, who immediately appeared to forget his original question. "'ow is it?" he asked Alex, keen to divert the conversation away from anything remotely strange.

"Lovely," she replied honestly, "you can cook for me more often."

"Don't know about that," he replied, secretly pleased that she liked it.

"Why not? You have the makings of a modern man, Gene," she pointed her fork at him.

"Women's stuff all this," he said, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth. Alex looked momentarily insulted and then, seeing his mirth, made a face at him.

"You are not as funny as you think you are Mr Hunt."

"We'll see about that."

XXXX

"…and after the evil King died, peace and harmony was brought to the land of Hagapoo and all its citizens lived happily ever after."

Alex closed the book and glanced somewhat scathingly at the cover. It hadn't been the best children's story as far as she was concerned, but her audience appeared to have enjoyed it. Danny was lying in bed, the covers pulled up to his chin while Gene sat splayed out in the chair at the other side.

"Can we read another one?" Danny asked, his tone eager but his eyes obviously heavy.

"Reckon that's enough for tonight," Gene replied, pulling himself up.

"Awwwww…but…"

"I said, that's enough," he repeated, raising his eyebrows at his son who immediately stopped whining. "If you ask Alex nicely, she might come back another night and read you another one."

Danny looked at her expectantly and she smiled, "I would love to. It makes a change from _My Little Pony _and _Moondreamers _which is all Molly ever wanted when she was your age." She got to her feet, bent over and kissed him on the forehead. "Night night."

"Night," Danny replied sleepily.

Alex stepped backwards out of the room, allowing Gene and his son their privacy before the former followed her out and closed the door over, leaving it only slightly ajar. Then she followed him into the bedroom.

"Thank you," he said, turning to face her.

"For what?"

"Indulging my son."

"It's no trouble, really. I thought you picked a nice photograph for him."

Gene looked away. The loss of Ted on top of Meg would most likely affect his son in ways that he couldn't imagine, so he had tried to find a nice picture of the two of them that could hang in Danny's room. Ray and Chris, ably assisted by Shaz, had offered to clear out Ted's house and had sent all his things down in case Danny had wanted anything. Looking through them one night, Gene had come across a photograph of Meg, Ted and Catherine that had been taken at the latter's wedding anniversary party in 1971. The same party he and Meg had sneaked away from to get drunk in the pub. The three of them looked really happy and Gene thought it was important that Danny know where he came from. He often found his son looking at the picture and, when asked, would reply that it was Mummy, Grandma and Grandpa. Gene only hoped that they would all approve.

Alex stepped forward and placed her hand on his cheek, causing him to jump slightly. "You're doing a good job, you know."

"You think so?"

She nodded, "I know so. No-one could be more devoted than you are right now." She leaned closer and brushed her lips against his, "I've missed you."

They hadn't been together for months, not since the night in the motel on the way back to London where both had been ever conscious of Meg in the car park. He had missed the feel of her, the smell of her and the sensations that coursed through his body whenever she touched him like she was touching him now.

It didn't take long to get undressed, mere seconds, and even less time to get to the bed. He fell back, grunting in pain as she landed on top of him.

"I'm sorry," she gasped, "I forgot…" trailing hot kisses down his throat and over his chest, she kissed the red, puckered skin around his wound, the very action causing more spasms in his groin than he would have thought possible. "What's the best way…?"

"Any bloody way," he growled. They settled for her on top, straddling him, her body displayed to the best advantage. As she lowered herself down on him, he groaned her name loudly, "Alex…"

"Ssssh," she said, putting her fingers to his lips, "quietly, remember?"

It was the one disadvantage to having Danny in the house, remembering to be quiet when all he wanted to do was scream her name at the top of his lungs and hear her scream his. The other disadvantage was, of course, her agreeing to leave before Danny woke the following morning. Although Gene was determined that she be part of both their lives, it was a delicate subject which had to be handled carefully.

At the moment, however, all he cared about was her. She started to rock gently against him, panting above him, her breasts tantalisingly close to his face. He reached up and cupped them in his hands causing her to growl at the back of her throat. Then she lowered herself down and kissed him, her tongue plunging into his mouth before she trailed it over his lips, down the side of his face to the crevice of his neck.

"God, Alex…" he groaned.

She pulled herself up again and looked down at him, "You like that, don't you Chief Inspector?"

"You really are the dirtiest DI I've ever 'ad to work with," he replied, his breathing become shallower.

"You can talk," she gasped, before throwing her head back and groaning loudly, seemingly to forget her own warning mere moments earlier.

She looked incredible, arched towards him like that. He couldn't believe that she was here, that they were both here and that it felt as good as it did. He had forgotten just how hungry he was, just how long it had been since he had been buried inside her.

"Gene…" she whimpered, looking at him again, grinding herself hard against him, "Oh God….Gene…"

He knew he was going to come. Any second now he was going to come…

"Daddy?" The bedroom door swung open, light spilling in and illuminating the bed.

"Shit!" Gene swore loudly, pushing himself up quickly, causing Alex to tumble off of him and down the side of the bed next to the wall. "Bloody 'ell!" he swore again. Danny stood blinking at him. "What…eh…what is it?"

"I had a bad dream," Danny said, "There was a robot in the cupboard."

"Oh…eh…right," Gene peered down the side of the bed and saw Alex looking up at him, contorted in an obviously uncomfortable position, her breathing still shallow. "Erm…" he made to push the covers back and then remembered he was naked underneath with a pulsating erection. "Go back to bed and I'll…erm…I'll be there in a minute, ok?"

"But the robot might come out the cupboard and get me," Danny protested, his lower lip trembling slightly.

"Well…eh…" Gene fought for a way to get his son out of the room. "Go to the door and shout "I'm not scared of you, you bast…naughty robot!" That should scare 'im and…and then I'll be there, all right?"

Danny nodded, though he didn't look very convinced. He turned and walked out of the doorway and back to his own room.

"Bloody 'ell!" Gene exclaimed again, swinging his legs gingerly over the bed and looking for something to throw on. In the background, he could hear Danny shouting what he had told him to shout.

Alex pulled herself up and leaned over the bed, dropping a kiss on his bare back. "Welcome to parenthood."

XXXX

"What are you thinking about?" she asked later after order had been restored and another, more successful attempt made.

"You," he replied, "and 'ow glad I am that you're 'ere."

"I'm glad to be here," she smiled. "In fact, there's nowhere else I'd rather be." He squeezed her tightly and she felt herself overflow with happiness. "Danny seems happy too."

"Reckon 'e 'is."

"You seem happy to have him here."

"I am."

"A proper little daddy." She craned her neck back and, smiling, looked up at him. "I never would have thought it."

"Neither would I," he replied honestly, "when we 'ad that conversation in my office all them weeks ago and you found out that I'd left 'im with Ted…"

"I judged you then and I was wrong."

"No, you were right," he sighed, "but I intend to change that. A new start, Bolly. You, me and Danny." He paused. "If you want it, that is."

"Depends on what you're offering," she quipped. "Endless nights of amazing sex being interrupted by a seven year old with nightmares?"

Gene pushed himself up the bed, forcing her to pull back away from him. He looked at her, really looked at her and knew that he was going to ask her. "Well, you could always…"

"Move in?" she finished for him. "I'm quite good with nightmares."

"No, I…uh…I was thinking more like…marrying me." He looked away, not sure if he wanted to see her reaction. There was a long pause. "I mean, it's all right if you don't want to. I won't be offended if…"

"Gene." Her voice was soft and he raised his eyes to meet hers again. "I'd love to."

"You would?"

"You sound surprised," she laughed.

"Yeah well…you know, I don't 'ave the best track record when it comes to women and…well…Meg always kept saying no…" he broke off, suddenly aware that it was perhaps inappropriate to be talking about Meg at such a moment.

"I would _love_ to marry you," Alex said, "on one condition."

"ere we go," he said, "what?"

She cocked her head on one side and smiled gently, "That you're never afraid to talk about her." She nodded as he raised his eyebrows at her. "She's Danny mum, and we can't ever forget that."

Gene held out his arms and she nestled back into them. "I can live with that."

"Good, then so can I."

She fell asleep shortly after that, comfortable and secure in his arms, her heart singing with the commitment he had offered to her. She knew that Molly was going to be all right and Gene and Danny needed her. Lord only knew what they would get up to if she wasn't there to lend a steady guiding hand, particularly as Gene found his feet as a father.

Sometime during the night, she woke and went to the bathroom. On the way back, she stopped and looked into Danny's room. He was lying, the covers half off, one arm above his head, facing away from her, his body rising and falling in peaceful sleep. When she returned to the bedroom, she found Gene in practically the same position.

"Like father like son," she whispered, climbing back in beside him. Instinctively, in sleep, he put his arm around her and pulled her close, causing her to fall instantly back to sleep.

"Daddy?"

Gene moaned slightly in his sleep, not entirely sure of what he had heard.

"Daddy?"

He shifted slightly and could feel the warmth of Alex's body pressed against his.

"Daddy!"

His eyes flew open and he saw Danny's face mere inches from his own, his eyes wide, his little body shaking slightly.

"What the…" Gene mumbled, "Danny, what you…why up…what's time…" he fought for coherent speech.

"The robot's back again," he said in an exaggerated whisper, "he says he won't leave because it's his room and his house and he wants me to leave and never come back." His words came out in a rush.

"Mmm…hmphammm…" Gene babbled, still half asleep. "Be there…minute…"

"Daddy?"

"Whatisitnow?"

"Why is Alex in bed with you?"

**THE END**

**Ok, I've decided that I have to do a third story. I wasn't going to but reckon I need to explore the 'Sam undercover' thing and what effect that might have on Gene and Alex, especially because she knows he's alive and is keeping it from the Gene Genie. Am currently gathering my thoughts and once have them sorted, I'll get something posted. Hope you will all come along for the ride!**

**Isabella xx**


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